Any signs of spring?

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demi · #211 Post by **demi** » Mon Apr 20, 2026 5:11 pm

Thank you all for clearing that up. I've just had a look for pictures of black redstarts & found this Site:

https://www.oiseaux.net/

Edit: It looks very good & is also available in English.

Chappers51 · #212 Post by **Chappers51** » Mon Apr 20, 2026 6:25 pm

Thé first swifts flew over my garden this afternoon, just 2 pairs and there’s been a hoopoe in a neighbouring garden today and yesterday.

Headers · #213 Post by **Headers** » Tue Apr 21, 2026 9:55 am

The golden orioles are back. But what do they eat before the fruit has arrived?

basquesteve · #214 Post by **basquesteve** » Wed Apr 22, 2026 4:12 pm

They are omnivores it's only later in the Summer fruit becomes a favorite

Blaze · #215 Post by **Blaze** » Thu Apr 23, 2026 10:59 am

Our Trachycarpus, Cyril, has flowered for the first time in 8 years. He had a spurt in growth over the winter, perhaps due to plenty of rain. But we've never seen flowers before - they seemed to appear almost overnight !

IMG_7756.jpeg

exile · #216 Post by **exile** » Thu Apr 23, 2026 6:05 pm

Slightly tongue in cheek

Arrival of many Dutch registered cars
Road works on just about every main road in advance of the summer tourist rush

Veem · #217 Post by **Veem** » Fri Apr 24, 2026 12:24 pm

Blaze wrote: ↑Thu Apr 23, 2026 10:59 am Our Trachycarpus, Cyril, has flowered for the first time in 8 years. He had a spurt in growth over the winter, perhaps due to plenty of rain. But we've never seen flowers before - they seemed to appear almost overnight !
IMG_7756.jpeg

Prompted by your post, I just went out to see how our two are doing. One is a mass of flowers and the other will clearly be a day or two later.
The Albizias are definitely showing green now and seem to have reached this stage quite early in the season.

Blaze · #218 Post by **Blaze** » Fri Apr 24, 2026 2:27 pm

Veem wrote: ↑Fri Apr 24, 2026 12:24 pm The Albizias are definitely showing green now

I've had a look at ours and the leaves are just starting to show. It doesn't usually come into leaf until well into June.

One of our Choisyas is alive with Red Admirals - I've never seen so many before. There are also loads of the little blue jobs, the ones that move so quickly you can't catch them. And when they do stop for a photo call they face you straight on

Veem · #219 Post by **Veem** » Fri Apr 24, 2026 5:01 pm

Blaze wrote "One of our Choisyas is alive with Red Admirals - I've never seen so many before. There are also loads of the little blue jobs, the ones that move so quickly you can't catch them. And when they do stop for a photo call they face you straight on

"

Our Choisya is huge this spring and full of flower. When flowering is over, I shall prune it back, as it's threatening to overbear a gifted rose that was only planted last summer and has 5 buds ready to open, if it can have enough room. It's a fabulous Rosa "Twister Select" and I'd like it to have a full first season in which to bloom.

MAD87 · #220 Post by **MAD87** » Sat Apr 25, 2026 10:00 am

I have 3 choisyas (all sunrise), cuttings from the mummy at my last garden, apparently mostly in flower (I have difficulty getting into the garden). Unfortunatelty, the new gardener I've recently found gave each of them a short back and sides after telling me that my shrubs needed pruning. I managed to stop her pruning one of my ceanothus plants (another cutting, like so many) which is now a 2m mass of blue. I told her this week that the Irish/English way is to just let plants grow and that I don't want a mini Versailles!

France in Focus

France in Focus