Most will agree, we’ve had a pretty mild winter (2010/11), and the start of February was no exception.  With temperatures soaring to almost 20°C in the sun, it has been great to get out there, into the garden, doing stuff that ordinarily you couldn’t touch until at least the beginning, if not mid-March.

However, I don’t know about you but I struggle sometimes to work out what should be happening in the garden from month to month, and puzzle at my neighbours’ sometimes conflicting advice, and the Bulgarian seasons do confuse – I’m used to rain, rain and more rain.  Well fear not, this ‘Garden Calendar’ (fingers crossed) could develop to serve as a month by month reference point for all of us budding Horticulturalists.

A place where we can collectively dispel the myth and confusion promoted by our lovely neighbours, where we can learn to grow familiar and the not so familiar stuff, where we can seek advice in our battle against strange pests, share tips and tricks, and provide a forum for discussion.

N.B.  I should not and do not exclude the cultivation of ‘weeds’ such as roses and geraniums from horticulture ... they don’t float my boat but feel free to wade-in with advice and tips in this department if the mood takes you .... It really doesn’t make you a bad person .... No, really!

To kick-off I thought I might tell you what we’ve been doing this February to take advantage of the unusually good weather and to prep for the coming spring, hoping that some of you may have some other useful tips to lighten the load and to add to the knowledge-base.