Storm Eunice was a force to be reckoned with

Well, Storm Eunice definitely made her presence felt.

The day had hardly begun before she ripped one of our polytunnels. It was absolutely heartbreaking to see the damage she caused.

All our hard work destroyed in seconds by Mother Nature. However, no-one was hurt. Plants might have been decimated but they can be regrown.

Falling trees

My neighbour lost seven trees. Luckily, they all fell into her garden and field and didn’t block the road. As her husband observed it is much easier to chop them up when they have already been felled by the wind.

Garden is perking up

Thankfully Storm Eunice has blown herself out and the garden is beginning to perk up. The grass is growing. Birds are active and spring is on its way.

Spring bulbs are in full bloom

Spring bulbs are in full bloom. I have a completely new patch of crocuses under an ash tree. I didn’t plant them and I have no idea how they got there. The snowdrops were late to the party but they’re here now. I love their delicate white and green heads. Nature’s milkmaids.

Narcissus are out. I adore the early varieties which have such a sweet scent.

Cyclamen is also blooming. Cheery deep pinks and reds. Such a welcome sight.

Plan for summer

It is time to plan your summer planning. With the right research you can have colour right though until late autumn. Our catalogue is a good place to start.

I’m going to plant geums for some early summer colour. Top of my list is Scarlet Tempest. They are both delicious reds and guaranteed to cheer up my garden.

If you are keen on more red flowers consider planning Clematis Avante Guarde. It has double red flowers with unusual pale pink centres.

I will also plant Hemerocallis Frans Hals. It has deep apricot yellow flowers which should bloom from July to September.

Scillas will give me some lovely blue blooms in June. As will Thalictrum Black Stockings which has wonderful, fluffy lavender blue flowers.

Another blue flower to consider is Agapanthus Big Blue. It has striking large white and blue blooms.

For purples take a look at Dierama Blackberry Bells. The flowers are a deep, purple maroon.

If that’s too much colour

If all this colour is too much I recommend Dierama Guinevere. It has rare lovely white flowers with a delicate pink tinge.

Of course, no garden would be complete without lupins. Manhattan Lights, Masterpiece and Red Rum will all give some lovely summer colour.

No shows in 2022

We are giving the shows a miss this year. It was a hard decision to take because I do like meeting customers face to face. But they take a lot of organisation and planning and after the last two years we felt we needed a rest.

Gardening tips  

If you didn’t clean your greenhouse last autumn do it now ready for this year’s planting. Start watering plants which have been dormant in the greenhouse over winter, to stimulate new growth.  Watch out for tips of new plants emerging when you are weeding. Try to avoid walking on saturated lawns.

#gardens #bulbs #spring #cyclamen #lupins #narcissus #summer #flowers #plants #trees #catalogue #geum #clematis #hemerocallis #scilla #thalictrum #agapanthus #dierama