There’s plenty of interest in the garden now, and here’s a selection of a few plants in flower and looking great at the moment.
Anemone blanda
Bearing cheerful, daisy-like flowers in a range of colours, including shades of blue, purple, pink and white in March and April. It’s great for naturalising under trees and shrubs.
Camellia sasanqua ‘Paradise Pearl’
I spotted this beauty whilst enjoying a visit to Nymans Gardens recently. It starts with soft pink buds that then open to masses of pure white semi-double to double flowers with yellow stamens. If you have slightly acidic soil, this is the plant for you.
Choisya × dewitteana ‘Aztec Pearl’
An evergreen, relatively compact shrub with slender, glossy, dark green leaves. In late spring, it has clusters of fragrant white flowers tinged pink when in bud. If you’re lucky, it may well flower again in autumn.
Cyclamen
This delightful perennial provides colour often when little else is flowering, particularly in late winter or early spring. They are ideal for naturalising under trees, on banks or in a shady border. They make ideal companions for hellebores, snowdrops and other spring-flowering bulbs. All have exquisite flowers and often have quite distinct fragrances, but even when not in flower, the foliage of many of these cyclamen species is outstanding.
Daphne bholua’Jacqueline Postill’
‘Jacqueline Postill’ has clusters of small, highly fragrant purplish-pink and white flowers held in clusters in January and February, followed by rounded, purple-black berries. Place it next to a path where its fragrance can be appreciated, as the fragrance produced is really uplifting, as it wafts through the winter garden.
Euphorbia characias subsp.
This handsome Euphorbia has large, dome-shaped, chartreuse-green flowers produced on towering spikes high above the foliage from March to May. It will bring structure and architectural quality to any garden.
Galanthus (Snowdrops)
For welcome assurance that spring is on its way, look no further than snowdrops. Flowering between January and March, snowdrops are one of the first signs of life in gardens after the long winter months. They are surprisingly varied in height, flower size, shape, and even colouring. Given moist soil, they will multiply into drifts and provide plenty of plants to share with fellow gardeners.
Hyacinthoides non-scripta
More commonly known as the common bluebell. The wild bluebell tends to grow in wooded areas in shade or dappled sunshine, and flowers for about a month in early spring each year. They make wonderful cut flowers for the house, and their heady scent pervades the air, bringing the promise of summer.
Kerria japonica
This is a deciduous spring flowering shrub that produces a mass of large, single, buttercup-like golden yellow flowers on graceful arching stems in March and April. It’s a perfect plant for brightening a dark corner or woodland edge. There is also a double-flowered variety – Kerria japonica ‘Pleniflora’.
Magnolia x soulangeana
If you are looking for an ornamental tree that will tolerate wet, soggy soil, you need to look no further than a magnolia. They prefer moist, slightly acidic soil that has been improved with compost or leaf mould, as this will get the tree off to a good start.
Magnolia stellata
The flowers on Magnolia stellata are lightly scented and open around March/April time before the leaves appear. It’s one of the best magnolias for a small garden.
Prunus ‘Matsumae amayadori’
Perhaps better known as the Japanese flowering Cherry. Its name, literally, means ‘Matsumae-big-wave’ for its big white flowers with waving petals. It is an eye-catching, small, upright tree with clusters of white flowers, which makes a fantastic feature tree with plenty of spring interest.
Tulips
There’s a tulip for every setting, from small “species” tulips in naturalised woodland areas to larger tulips that fit formal garden plantings from beds to borders. This brightly coloured jewel announces Spring’s arrival. Tulips come in enough colours, shapes and sizes to inspire every gardener’s creativity.