Beautiful Benington

February and it's the time once more for Benington Village's 'Snowdrop Sundays'. I love to visit as Benington Lordship gardens have spectacular displays of snowdrops and many of them are rare species. The gardens are also springing into life with hellebores, aconites, early spring blossoms and crocuses - and there are redwoods scattered around adding to all the new colour.

The grounds of Benington Lordship are interesting with old castle ruins and a lake and moat. The moat is grassed over now and there are swathes of naturalised snowdrops as you wander through it. There are also many herbacous borders that are still resting after the long winter, but will be full of colour soon. At the moment they are filled with the beautiful white of snowdrops and here and there the yellows of aconites and the purples of the crocus add to the stunning spring colour. 

The church, its grounds and the village is also worth a stroll around and you can get tea and home made cakes in the village hall  - an added bonus! Get a sunny February day and it's well worth a visit. I think a visit here always seems to mark the start of the new gardening year for me and signals spring is very close at long last! 

Benington Lordship is open daily 7th Feb until 1st March for snowdrops.

Bennington Lordship

Conservatory in Winter

We've had a little bit of early spring sunshine this last week or two and the conservatory is a special place to sit on days like this and enjoy the warmth. It's my favourite time of year in there - not quite warm enough to sit outside, but in the conservatory it can feel like spring or even summer with a little sunshine and you can look out on the garden and feel nearer to it.  

I like to have house plants and seasonal plants for some foliage and flowers in there, to make it as though you are in between the house and the garden. I've acquired quite a collection of orchids over the last year or two - most have been presents - and there are always some in flower to brighten the room up - even in the depths of winter. 

I grow dracenas and weeping figs and together with a miniature olive tree - another lovely present -  they give lovely green foliage. There are also a few cacti and succulents too. I like to add seasonal plants in there as well. At the moment I've still got a couple plants left over from Christmas - cyclamens and poinsettas, which are still doing well and adding some bright colour. I've also got some bowls of miniature daffodils in there, just to add to that near spring feeling! 

A cup of coffee, a good book, feet up, sunshine and birds singing - what could be more perfect!