There is a lot I could be attending to in the garden just now. New shoots of the sedum are pushing through and I still have not cut down the old stalks.
The daffodils are in flower behind the bee hives and all the bulb are pushing through and filling the borders.
The old plum tree has almost finished flowering now but its flowers have not been damaged by wind or frost. The bees have mounted their daily search for nectar and pollen making the tree buzz from a distance.
As the bees forage in the flowers the petals fall like confetti on the ground around it.
The smaller new plum tree provides easier access for me to creep up on the bees and is just as popular as the large tree but cannot compete noise wise.
The Osmanthus burkwoodii (bottom RHS of photo) is perfumed but does not attract the bees to the same extent as the plum trees.
The bees do go on the Osmanthus and the perfume is rich and distinctive
We do not have Mimosa in our garden but our neighbours do – to the benefit of our bees. Mimosa trees are popular in this area. The flowers can be cut and stay well in vases indoors but not everybody likes their perfume.
Kourosh took this photograph on the 23 February and I noticed a little male wild bee on the flowers. Then on the 26 of February…
We saw the first Osmia cornuta males flying around our bee boxes willing the females to hatch and come out.
Now is the time for our willow at the bottom of the garden to become the focus of attention for the bees. The tree is covered in golden pussy willow which provides a very valuable pollen for the bees.
The weather stays much greyer than usual for the spring and we have had very little real rain although there are light showers and drizzle.
I need some more sunny days to inspire me to get more active in the garden.
In the meantime Kourosh has found a large (about 10 cm.) Morille in the vegetable patch. I believe it is edible if well cooked. I have left it and if we get more next year then I will think about looking up recipes.
a french garden 
Those daffodils are a wonderful sight Amelia! And all your blossom too. Your garden looks so peaceful, but must be buzzing like mad! I am sure once it warms up a bit more you will be tempted to go out and do some pottering, snipping and tidying. 😉 It is still very cold here, but I have seen a few bees already, and even a couple of butterflies.
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I always get surprised early in the year when I see the odd bee and butterfly. They are hardier than they look. Amelia
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A Morrel (Morille) delicious. Lucky you guys. I constantly read that they grow under Cottonwood trees of which we have many, I have never found any. We are still enjoying the cep I harvested last fall and dried.
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We certainly don’t have any cottonwood trees. We have been told you find Morrels here near Ash trees (which we have) but maybe they just like to keep you guessing. I would certainly gather cepes if I found them in the garden. Amelia
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I’m glad to see spring is breaking out in your garden. Thanks again for sharing.
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The garden has responded as if it did not care there was not so much sunshine and rain this year. The spring flowers are so much hardier than they look. I need a few sunny days in the garden to get into the swing of things again. Amelia
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Lovely!
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Thank you :). It is a beautiful time in the garden when you see all the flowers popping up that you have forgotten you have! Amelia
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It looks wonderful. We are weeks behind you, but seeing your bees and flowers shows there is so much to look forward to 🌱🌱🌱
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From now on things move quickly in the garden. I am sure your spring flowers will be opening soon. Amelia
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Amelia…. what is that wonderful willow with the yellow catkins…. it is really striking!
And have you got a Kohu Blue willow… steely blue-grey young bark, so needs to be cut back regularly to give best effect in the garden.
But now is the time it co9mes into its own… steel grey catkins turn red, then yellow, as they mature…. and the bees love them because they are the first willow to flower.
No movement as yet from our Osmias……
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That Willow sounds wonderful but now we have a problem to find space for planting in our garden :(. Amelia
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At RHS Harlow Carr in Yorkshire, they had many willows grown as 2ft pollards… these were cut every two years to allow the catkins and winter wood to show… they were grown as pairs and cut on an alternate year basis. None were more than 4ft across.
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I could imagine that a landscape gardener would be able to make something very pleasing to the eye and for the bees in spring!
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Mimosa looks like Acacia dealbata, which is a horridly invasive exotic weed here. Quite a bit is getting cut down presently. It would be nice if we could let it bloom first, but we do it when we get the chance, and prefer to do it prior to seed dispersion.
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You are right! It hails from Australia and I prefer to admire it in other people’s gardens. It is very popular over here and there are areas that have Mimosa festivals. It is uplifting to see the bright yellow so soon after the dark months. Our deciduous native trees will not be in leaf for a while yet. Amelia
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If I remember correctly, it is not as invasive there because of the cooler winter weather.
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The Mimosa does not grow in the wild here from seed blown from garden trees. It can only be classed as invasive in gardens when it tends to grow strongly from its root system. We are lucky the climate does not suit it.
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Yes, it is aggressive where it can be.
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Good to see your Osmia cornuta. There have been some reports this year of these bees in the UK but they are not widespread. They are very attractive insects!
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They are especially appealing as they can be attracted to your garden bee boxes. If they have reached the U.K. I cannot see why they would not do well around the south of England. Amelia
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What a beautiful garden you have! I was surprised to see the yellow wattle there, a native to WA Australia! X
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I think a lot of people in France who love their Mimosa festivals would be very surprised to find out that it is a native of Australia :). I have also visited the south of Spain and checked out some beautiful trees there and find that they are native of Australia too! Amelia
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Yes!! I was surprised to see some aussie trees there too! Maybe from the war our aussie soldiers brought seeds?? Who knows!? I love that yellow wattle its very bright and poppy!
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I think it is more likely to be professional gardeners who design parks and gardens and look at the whole world for their choices. And I thought Botany was a dull subject at school!
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