April 2001 |
|||
 |
|
|
 |
It has been a cool April continuing to hold back new growth and flowers. I see in last year's pages that many of my Clematis were in full flower by this time, not so this year, but that just means even more to enjoy in May. Even the hardy daffodils such as the ones to the right are late, but at least the cool conditions are keeping the slugs in check and I can share with you a few uneaten flowers. As we near the very end of the month many ornamental cherries are starting to flower in local gardens and I seem to be seeing more Magnolias than ever before. Each year more and more people seem to be taking a pride in their gardens fuelled in part by the growth of gardening programmes on television and by the wider range of plants stocked at garden centres. |
|
||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
This is a shot looking down the back garden towards the pond and the old Willow tree, Salix alba. You should just be able to see the yellow Forsythia and orange Berberis darwinii in flower. Everything looks a bit overgrown in this photograph and this is after my cut back and tidy up. |
|||
|
|
This is a closer shot of Berberis darwinii in bud. It is a large growing shrub with tiny little holly like evergreen leaves, will tolerate clipping and makes a good hedge plant. It would make a very good member of a mixed shrub flowering hedge as opposed to a clipped formal one. Informal hedges are very much in vogue at the moment much to the relief and benefit of our wildlife as we are losing so many of the old traditional hedgerows. |
||
|
|
|||
|
|
|
||
One bonus of the cool spring is that my Camellia has been held back and now I have flowers undamaged by frost. This was a cheapy bought at a local supermarket a number of years ago. It is now about six feet tall and produces lots of blooms every year in a shady spot under the Willow tree. Like the Forsythia this is a difficult plant to place as it's growth is far from graceful, however unlike the former it does have the most beautiful glossy leaves. |
|||
|
|
|||
No excuses for once again showing Anemone blanda, very much a part of the spring scene for me. The red leaf belongs to Bergenia purpurea and turns more green in summer. The amenone is a good example of a plant that does well, but only where it is happy. I have tried it in various places all around the garden. When suited it grows well and self seeds, when not, it rapidly dies out. A position that is fairly dry in summer and sunny at flowering time seems to suit it and it grows in the poorest of soils. |
|
||
Why do we enjoy gardening? Is it because it unleashes our innermost creativity? It could be classed as a selfish desire to impose our will on a plot of land in an attempt to win praise from others. However we all gain almost as much pleasure from seeing the creations of others as we do from our own plot. I've come to the conclusion that through our gardens we wish to share our enjoyment of the natural world and make our own tiny contributions to it. Long may we continue doing just that. |
|||
|
|
|
|
