Floral Favourites March 2016

The first week of March continued mainly dry, but with chilly nights and cloudy days. The occasional few hours of sunshine kept us happy that we are heading in the right direction towards spring and summer. Blue skies and white clouds have been a lovely sight and we have had some spectacular sunsets.

 

 

We have managed to get out to do our first real gardening this month . There was plenty to do – dead stalks needed trimming away from the new shoots that are sprouting on many perennial shrubs and plants. Astrantia, poppies, lychnis, foxglove and penstemons are looking healthy. We have thousands of poached egg plant seedlings but I know the bees love them so they are staying where they are!

 

Weeds are also growing and need picking out and the soil forking over. Under the bird feeders the soil is quite flattened where hundreds of tiny feet have paraded around during the winter looking for food. Borders look so much better with just a little attention. I have had to finally pull up the teasel stems and heads from last year. The birds have loved the seeds but they are dead now and need clearing out to let this year’s plants grow. We have had hundreds of seedlings growing, it’s such a shame that we have to pull up so many of them. Working with the teasels still needs great care as the stalks are still covered in vicious little thorns that poke through gloves and into fingers. The new seedlings we have left in our bark chippings are growing well so we should have another good show this year.

 

 

Celandines have finally opened up their little faces to the sun - when it shines! We let them grow and flower under the hedge but they do spread quite easily so will have to keep a check on them. The undersides of the petals are quite dark when the flowers are in bud.

 

 

The crocus have given us their final flourish this month. After yellow and purple, white ones emerged to add to the overall display. The Bumble Bee queens have enjoyed them too – they emerged covered all over in yellow pollen.

 

The daffodils have been opening fast this month, from the small tete a tete to the full size specimens. The little miniature ones especially have looked stunning on the rockery and around the garden. The full size ones have different coloured trumpets and it means I can’t decide on a favourite amongst them! Remember to dead head the flowers but leave the stalks to die down naturally to feed the bulbs for next year.

 

 

The barrels of daffodils in the front of the house are almost there – the first blooms are fully out but there are many more buds waiting. I just hope the weather doesn’t get too bad and toss them about too much. It always seems to happen that just as they are at their best the wind knocks them down and the rain batters the flowers. Picking the bent ones and bringing them indoors keeps them alive for a day or two but they last much longer outside in their true positions.

 

 

Globe primulas are looking lovely with their delicate purple flowers. Other primulas are still flowering – there seem to have been the odd few flowering all winter long. They have bulked up now however and look spectacular when in flower. I often buy primulas at knock down prices at garden centres at this time of year. The flowers have gone over, but as long as they have not been too neglected, they will recover and grow to flower again next year.

 

The rockery has needed a tidy up – removing dead foliage and removing leaves from around some plants but there are plenty of shoots and buds. It is lovely to see things growing again.

 

Buds are fast developing on the elder and cherry trees, on tulips in pots and the hyacinths in the garden are just opening their first coloured bells. Indoor hyacinths that have scented the house, have now been planted in the garden to die down and build up energy for next year’s display.

 

 

Chaenomeles is in good flower now – it is always an early one to flower with lovely shades ranging from red through scarlet and dark red to the delicate peach. Decorative quinces are produced later in the year but they are very hard, even when ripe! It is impossible to do anything other than chop them up (even that is difficult!) and make jelly with them. Quince jelly has its own individual taste but we think it is really nice.
Among the flowers beds and on garden paths it is now the time to watch out for rogue sycamore seedlings. The lime green double leafed shoots are easy to uproot when small, but the more they grow, the harder it is to yank them out. They love to sprout in the most awkward places too - right next to the path, in a corner, under the hedge. Vigilance now will save trouble later.

 

 

The grass has had its first cut and de-mossing . Great rakefuls of moss came out which initially makes it look as if there will be no grass left, but a couple of days and it starts to look like a lawn again. Our strip of uncut grass for the “no mow” has had a bit of a trim but is still longer than the rest of the lawn. A Buff-tailed Bumble bee was buzzing around this longer grass, looking for a hole for a nest perhaps?

 

 

The second half of the month has brought a change away from the spring-like weather. We have had more days when it has been quite cloudy and chilly with some heavy showers, although the severe frosts seem to have departed. The sun makes such a difference when it shines – you can feel the temperature rise and fall according to whether the sun is in or out! Easter fell at the end of March this year and was a typical Bank Holiday weatherwise. Good Friday was lovely, Saturday was wet and miserable, Easter Sunday was sunshine and showers and Monday was chilly and showery but with occasional sunny spells. One shower was hail stones! It was a Bank Holiday weekend after all!
Just a couple of other observations in the garden this month. They may not be flowers in the sense I intended for this blog but interesting never the less.
Jelly ear is a species of edible fungus found worldwide. The fruiting body is distinguished by its noticeably ear-like shape and brown colouration; it grows all year round upon wood, both dead and living, especially elder. I found these small pieces growing on sticks in one of our log piles.

 

 

The other note of interest is the lovely colours, shape and texture of the rhubarb as it sprouts.

 

 

A last item to report this month - again not a flower! - was that the clocks went forward, making it feel as if the long summer days are nearer. Let’s hope there are some hot sunny days this year to enjoy. Days to look forward to the garden blooming and looking at its best.