12 favourite plants for spring colour
1 Weigela subsessilis ‘Canary’ Its pale-lemon flowers are so pretty, it’s surprising that this is not more widely known. Can be grown as a small, upright shrub or, once established, cut down to the ground immediately after flowering, as you would herbaceous perennials. USDA 4a-8b†.
2 Narcissus ‘Mount Hood’ This is a robust, strong-growing daffodil. Its flowers, which can be up to 10cm across, have lovely creamy petals that mature to white. It comes back year after year. 42cm. AGM*. RHS H6, USDA 3a-8b.
3 Primula denticulata var. alba Distinctive for its round, densely packed flower heads, on stems that lengthen over several weeks. Excellent in groups. This white form is beautiful but Claus also grows other shades. 45cm. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 3b-9b.
4 Clematis alpina ‘Stolwijk Gold’ Its beautiful, lime-yellow foliage is the perfect foil for the soft, pyjama-blue flowers. At its best in a sunny situation but it also flourishes in semi-shade. 2.5m. USDA 4a-7b.
5 Matteuccia struthiopteris This elegant deciduous fern, has striking, lime-green, lacy foliage, which slowly unfurls, developing a wonderful architectural shape that lives up to its name of shuttlecock fern. 1.7m. AGM. RHS H5, USDA 3a-7b.
6 Magnolia x loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’ A slow-growing, large shrub or small tree that has pretty flowers, blushed with soft pink. It combines beautifully with pale-pink tulips. The flowers need protection from late-spring frosts, it may take three to four years before the first blooms appear. 8m. RHS H6, USDA 4a-9b.
7 Lamprocapnos spectabilis ‘Gold Heart’ The young, golden-yellow foliage and pink-tinted stems of this elegant, herbaceous plant combine extremely well with high-impact tulips, such as the bright purple-pink ‘Barcelona’. 60cm. USDA 3a-9b.
8 Ribes sanguineum White Icicle (= ‘Ubric’) This tall deciduous shrub works well with late narcissi and its pretty, white, candelabra flowers and soft, textured young leaves are excellent in bouquets. 1.5m. RHS H6, USDA 4a-8b.
9 Trillium grandiflorum The purity and architecture of this graceful perennial’s white flowers makes it a perfect fit for Claus’s Woodland Garden. Needs humusrich soil. 40cm. RHS H5, USDA 4a-8b.
10 Tulipa ‘Mount Tacoma’ The buds of this tulip open to flouncy, peony-like flowers of creamy white, with occasional green shading. Claus feels too many doubles can make the garden look too fussy, so he aims to limit them to around ten per cent. 45cm. USDA 3a-8b.
11 Narcissus ‘Hawera’ Multi-headed with soft-yellow flowers and inconspicuous, narrow foliage. It’s good at the front of a border, is wind tolerant and copes well with dry, sunny sites. 25cm. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 4a-8b.
12 Salix lanata This compact, slow-growing, deciduous shrub with lots of stems has silver, early catkins followed by wonderfully textured, grey leaves. In Claus’s garden it is planted under Pyrus salicifolia ‘Pendula’. A real ‘show stopper’. 1.5m. AGM. RHS H7, USDA 4a-8b.