Almost open

More snowdrops. These are just about to open. Yesterday I cleared a lot of dead and decaying plant stalks and leaves from the borders so that we could see the clumps of snowdrops and crocuses better, as they come up. The first crocus was out and the rest will follow soon, mostly once we get into February.

The ground is still sodden so I did my best to stay off the borders as much as possible. The lawn is going to take some work to get it back into a better state once the soil dries out a bit. The ground is very heavy and over the years the lawn has declined quite a lot. Despite my efforts at raking and aerating, it has become moss-infested and compacted, and the grass is being replaced by bugle and other wild flowers that like heavy, wet soil. Maybe we should let it go to a wild flower meadow, but that isn't really going to work with the rest of the garden. I'll keep trying, but just holding the current position is hard work every spring/autumn, and it's not getting any easier.