Continuity of colour in the spring garden
An assortment of flowering plants that bring year-round colour to the garden, is a dream that can come true. Simply buy something in bloom every month and before you know it there’s continuity. We’ve done this for some years now and it’s beginning to show.
This is evident in the assorted fruit trees and bushes covered in glorious bloom.
A ‘Victoria’ plum was in flower some weeks ago and is now dripping with embryo fruits.
The ‘Conference’ pear is still blooming and raspberries are just about to do so.
In between are the currants and berried bushes absolutely buzzing with the pollinating insects that help secure our fruit crops.
Flowers are an important feature in any garden.
No sooner has the early spring display of bulbs faded than a new batch of colourful plants emerge in the ornamental borders.
Last week, walking around the garden in search of inspiration for our two-hour “Weekending Show,” co-hosted with friend Carl Stiansen on Lionheart Radio, I suddenly became aware of the number of plants in bloom.
Suitably equipped with secateurs and a poly bag, this fellow began to snip one flower from each, transferred them into a group of small glass vases for display then counted and recorded the number.
The result was very encouraging given this unpredictable spring weather.
Certain colours tend to dominate our floral scene at this time of year, and it was no surprise to find so many yellows in the collection.
The biennial wallflower ‘Cloth of Gold’ is an old favourite, so reliable in shining when the sun fails to appear, and there were three different types of primula, primrose (P. vulgaris), Cowslip (P. veris) and polyanthus, whose parentage is believed to include veris and vulgaris.
They are each raised from seed, but the polyanthus also lends itself to the dividing up of large clumps.
Marsh marigold (Catha palustris ‘Flore Pleno’) is a marginal plant by the pool whose double golden blooms cast a reflection in the water.
Doronicum ‘Harper Crewe’ single, and ‘Frulingspracht’ double flowers, are currently herbaceous stars of the mixed border, alongside Epimedium ‘Sulphureum’ and the bulbous dog’s tooth violet (Erythronium ‘Pagoda’).
Two shrubs, Berberis darwinii and Broom (cytisus) are currently in full bloom, and if remaining daffodils are included, we have a dozen different sources of yellow in our garden.