Sunny spring days are here again

A VERY good autumn encourages all woody plants to develop flower buds for the following spring and as last autumn was one of the very best in memory we are now enjoying some wonderful displays of colour on the early flowering trees and shrubs.

Camellias with their rose-like blooms in shades of pink, red and white started their eye-catching flowering as early as January and may continue until late spring. This is probably the most appreciated plant in Ireland consumed in vast quantities on every single day of the year under the name of ‘TEA’. In the tropical plantations it grows continuously allowing the newly emerging small leaves to be picked and dried as tea.

In the garden they are easy to grow as long as you mix a lime-free compost into the planting hole. They will succeed in the open but will do equally well in light shade where the leaves will develop a richer green hue. They make excellent container plants in either pots or planting boxes.

Magnolias are in full exuberant display at the moment and many of the varieties have sumptuous blooms in shades of white, pink, deep pink, blush pink or indeed in combinations of all of these colours. One of the best known magnolias in Kerry is located in Day Place in Tralee near the Dominican Church. This is the variety ‘x soulangeana’ and many years ago I was informed by the late Sr. Bernadette of the Presentation (herself a keen gardener) that this tree was planted by a Doctor Kearney in the 1890s. It has improved with age and this year’s explosion of colour was the best that I can remember. Varieties such as ‘Merrill’, ‘Leonard Messel’ and ‘Wada’s Memory’ are among the most floriferous and will grow on most soil types.

As days lengthen at increasing speed more and more plants will come into flower and already the early cherries are strutting their stuff. The soft pink ‘Pandora’ is almost finished… heralding the start of the Japanese Cherry season which promises clouds of white and pink adding to our enjoyment of springtime, Should you not have the space for one of the larger cherries all is not lost as the beautiful ‘Fuji Cherry’ is a small tree with masses of either white or pink blossoms. In addition the foliage gives a remarkable display of colour in autumn.

It’s not just the taller plants that catch the eye. The humble daisy opens early and daisy chains were being fashioned in the past week. As long ago as 1860 the poet John Clare penned the following lines:

The daisy is a happy flower, And comes at early spring, And brings with it the sunny hour, When bees are on the wing.

Plants have inspired poets for centuries and while compositions may be lengthy some are exceptionally short as in Ogden Nash’s:

Parsley is gharsley.

The fruit and veg garden provides more than food. Working with plants and the soil connects us to planet earth helping to keep us grounded. You don’t have to think big… why not start by growing a fruit bush or two such as a gooseberry or a blackcurrant… or if space allows a couple of apple trees. Fruit and veg varieties with great taste don’t usually yield commercial quantities and so you rarely see them on sale. This is where you come into the picture. You are in charge of your garden and you make the decisions… start by asking advice from an experienced source.

Fruit grows best on well drained soil and if you are unlucky enough to find yourself with a heavy wet garden all is not lost. Create plateaus or raised beds and plant on these to ensure great drainage and successful gardening.