Yesterday I finally pruned back the dogwoods, down to a few inches above ground level. This ensures new brightly coloured stems next winter. And I tackled the mahonia. The only one in the garden was outgrowing its space somewhat and I was becoming fed up, whilst mowing, of having my right arm painfully scratched. Mahonia is not a particularly lovely shrub. Until recently I had dismissed it as a boring-supermarket-car-park-bush with the added annoyance of prickly leaves scattered about for me to kneel on whilst weeding. I’m not sure that I would ever choose to plant one, but I have been won over by the explosion of yellow flowers during the grimmest part of the year.
Whilst pruning (listening to my mp3 player and doing a little dancing – it’s OK no-one can see), I noticed the promise of things to be:
sedums, tightly curled up and ready for the off
Day lilies, looking good enough for me to graze on
One of the lupins that lay dormant during the years-of-neglect
Aquilegia, again just waiting for the starter’s pistol
watering in the greenhouse, I saw that the Venus flytraps are pushing up their flower stalks.
Hmm. They are so alien looking. Like little ET marxist salutes. Maybe they’re not flower stalks at all. Maybe they’re communication masts. Oh my goodness, they’re preparing to call their home planet. Or Mothership. Requesting reinforcements, I suspect. The conquest of Earth isn’t going to plan. Or perhaps just beaming home the latest installment in an occasional Sunday Supplement series on ‘Transgalactic Weirdos.’ But if that’s the case what are they doing in my greenhouse? Precious little material there surely?
The Anxious Gardener 
Hi Jason, don't know why the lupins haven't been eaten – I haven't protected them though now you've reminded me I may well do so.
The Priory Mahonia usually flowers in December whilst the two or three Forsythia we have are only just about ready to flower now, so here at least they don't overlap. Also the former gives some structure in the long borders during the winter.
I suspect you're right about spending too much time alone. Might go up to the road today and wait for some passers by and talk at them.
D
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Hi Dave, the plants you have coming up look really good, very lush. The lupins especially look good; ours usually get eaten by slugs and I think that last year we lost them all before the had barely had chance to get above ground level.
I totally agree about the Mahonia. I saw one today and it only reinforced my dislike. The yellow flowers are certainly a good dash of colour but I prefer the yellow on a Forsythia at this time of year and it's a much nicer shrub.
As far as your thoughts on flytraps go, perhaps you are spending too much time on your own in the garden!
Jason.
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