The month being March and the weather being nice, I did a lot of work in the garden these past few days. Handicapped by an unruly Achilles tendon I had to do a lot of the work sitting down (if I want to garden very badly there is no stopping me at all).

Had to take out the box hedges a few months ago because of box blight. This sparked off a redesign of part of my garden. So I dug up the box last November, threw it away and moved the perennials that flanked it to another spot. Then I had to wait for spring to be able to transplant any bulbs – they need to show their heads above ground so I can find them. This I did two weeks ago. Then I had to level the area where the hedges had been. This I’ve been doing all week, and it will take me a few more days to finish. Then I can seed grass where there used to be a flower garden. Which is meant to be a low-maintenance thing and will make my gardening life much easier. Remind me: did I want it to be easier?

I know what I do want – more snowdrops. Lots and lots and lots more. And lots more again. Snowdrops only arrived in my garden a few years ago, once I’d figured out they must be planted in the green. When I told my husband about this he pointed me towards a spot on an industrial estate nearby where a lot of neglected snowdrops grew. I went and liberated a small wheelbarrow full,  and have had snowdrops in my garden ever since. Won’t call myself a Galantophile, as I don’t really care about species and cultivars. Will call myself greedy – having a few snowdrops made me want to have a lot. Having a lot of snowdrops made me want to have lots more.

So I spent the better part of today spreading snowdrops around the garden. Its easy: dig up a clump once they’ve done flowering, split it up into smaller groups, plug them in again. They are very forgiving of being manhandled.  I’m sure that if I’d put them in upside-down, they would still say a quiet ‘thank you’ and get on with the business of growing.

Am thinking about hitting the industrial estate again, too. Greed, it’s one of the seven sins. Do hope there will be snowdrops in heaven.