April - all's well that ends well!

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The start of the month got of to a really slow start but the rise in temperatures this last fortnight has seen the garden coming on leaps and bounds – that might well be a slight exaggeration but I think you’ll all agree we are feeling much more optimistic and hopeful! Dare I be completely honest and say that I was getting a bit fed up looking at Hellebore and crocus blooms!

Shrubs are still budding up, a few things have been battered by the recent bone chilling easterly winds and not many winter casualties, thus far! Lets have a look at what’s going on at the end of April….

Daffodils are now open for all and sundry to admire

Narcissus Rip van Winkle

Narcissus Tete a Tete

Narcissus Jet Fire

Just as April is coming to an end my favourite Daffodils will take over from their yellow cousins. Scented, pure white multi headed stems and flowered for over 2 months in previous years. I wonder if their flowers will last until June.

Narcissus Thalia

I don’t grow many tulips in the garden, those that do are kept in containers. These were added to my gravel bed last autumn.

Tulipa humilis Persian Pearl

Other spring bulbs are now spreading their way, albeit slowly, around the garden.

Fritillaria meleagris on the sunny side

Fritillaria meleagris on the shady side

Chionodoxa forbesii

Muscari latifolium Blue Angels

Puschkinia scilloides (striped squill)

Primulas are now coming into their own. Primula generally grow well in my garden. The cold drier months of February and March meant that the slugs were not as abundant as they would usually have been come April.

Drumstick primula are always the first to flower

Primula denticulata Cashmeriana

Primula denticulata Alba

Destined for the new bed outside the kitchen door a couple of pots of cowslips

Primula veris

In the same bed, these little primula came to the garden from a large clump that was growing in my brothers garden.

Primula vulgaris?

Primula Don Keefe

Primula Francesca

Next two were part of my Christmas haul. I noticed in a major GC last week they are selling them at almost a tenner a pot. These were bought out of season at less than half that price.

Primula vulgaris Innisfree

Primula vulgaris Drumcliffe

Disappointingly Viburnum tinus Eve Price has failed to impress for the second year. Growing in part shade I wonder if a little more sun is needed.

Viburnum tinus Eve Price

More shade lovers strutting their stuff….

Brunnera macrophylla Jack Frost

Pulmonaria (unknown)

Pulmonaria (unknown)

New to the garden this spring

Anemonella thalictroides Dark Pink form

The first of the mossy saxifraga to flower – a couple of rogue tulip bulbs come from goodness knows where. I did have Tulip Red Riding Hood last year but the bulbs rotted in the floods, so am at a loss as to how they made their way to the front garden!!

Saxifraga Moss Rose

The garden is full of promise for May – here’s a wee sneak preview….

The first of the Epimedium flowers, way ahead of the white and yellow varieties.

Epimedium rubrum

After spending a long while this afternoon pruning out all the dead stems, I managed not to damage the only stem with growth.

Clematis alpina Helsingborg

The ever baffling two tone Rhododendron

Rhododendron Shamrock

How long until this is covered in flowers and bees. This has looked good all winter, sheltered in the front doorway.

Trifolium repens purpurascens quadrifolium
It’s much easier to say four leaved clover :)

Thank you all for looking around my garden and I hope you have all had a lovely sunny start to the weekend!

• 27 Apr, 2013
• 15 likes

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