What a perfect day for March’s EoMV! Spring has arrived all of a rush, with many bulbs bursting into bloom under the last weekend’s glorious sunshine.
Starting from the bottom of the Lavender steps, looking left, please admire the fact that nearly all the beds have been mulched with a mix of Isle of Wight compost and manure. I have to confess to hiring a man to help dig it out of the big white sacks into a wheelbarrow, but I did all the application (not least because I was really too late, and there were plenty of bulbs and emerging perennials which could have been broken by a careless ‘dump’!)
I have to confess the Acacia baileyana pupurea which I moved back in February is looking a little brown and crispy in places but I’m keeping my fingers crossed it will survive.
On the decking the wonderful Pelagonium ‘Surcouf’ is looking positively rampant already. And although I also have the Clematis ‘Princess Diana’ at the back of these pots (there is a pair) she’s not very happy, so I’m encouraging Surcouf up the trellis and might move the Princess somewhere more to her liking.
In the trough the replenished N. Minnow are spilling over
and in the veg patch, the Diving Lady is overseeing a mulched blank canvas.
I’ve recently moved the rhubarb from the front bed to an area out of shot to the left hand end of the main veg bed. It never did that well where it was (much to my embarrassment) which I put down to the bed being too hot and dry, so I’m hoping the new location will suit it better. And the evacuation of the rhubarb means more room for strawberries. Any tips for favourite varieties?
Much to the chagrin of the daughter, home from uni for Easter, I’ve also planted a few more home grown Agapanthus seedlings at the back. She thinks the whole bed should just be strawberries and more strawberries – not least because this year she’ll be home in June!
Round to the left hand Swing Bed and there’s plenty of green but little colour yet. The daffodils have disappeared and the tulips are (mostly) still in bud.
I finally got round to pruning and training all the roses on the pergola and they are now leafing up nicely.
In the right hand bed there are more Narcissi than the left (er, why?) and a far happier looking Euphorbia. I’ve said before that trying to make these beds symmetrical is rather a hopeless cause, but I’m wondering whether I should abandon the Euphorbia all together and replace with something more structural and evergreen. (The joke is that there is a healthy looking Euphorbia right at the end of the left hand bed, but that one is self seeded. The one bought and paid for to mirror the other bed is hopeless). Hmmm.
In the Grass Bed I’m delighted that some of some of the Forget me nots have returned to form rather spartan skirts around the N. ‘Peeping Jennys’.
The Bronze Bed is positively overrun with Euphorbia (and this is after I pulled one out) but whilst they’re a zingy joy at this time of year, I’m not convinced I’ll allow them to survive later in the year.
I blogged about this Primula last year – it’s self seeded alongside the Lavender Steps. I just love the soft colour and saved and sowed seeds last year but to no avail, and, now it’s another year older, I think it’s even less likely I’ll be able to move it. Ah well, I’d better enjoy it where it is.
In the right hand Lavender Bed you can see the chive like leaves of Allium Sphaerocephalon. I’ve never grown it before (but used to admire it in my mum’s garden) and because it’s so ‘slight’ I’ve planted them in a ‘wave’ across the two beds as I thought otherwise they could be a bit lost. Whether it will actually work is yet to be seen, not least because the other plants might have grown up to obscure them before they get round to flowering.
The N. Tete a tete are still flowering along the path to the front door. Those in the pots are largely over, but have now been surpassed by the news ones planted along the edge of the bed. In summer these beds are full of the ‘Flower Carpet’ roses, but it’s lovely to have these cheery daffs now.
More new daffs – N. Thalia in the Drive Bed, accompanied by Erysimum ‘Ivory Giant’ which were grown from seed last year.
At the western side of the garden the Frits (as they’re known in this household) are blooming in the grass, with N. Jenny in the background. 
In this picture you can see the Hamamelis ‘Arnold’s Promise’ is completely over 
whereas the H. Aphrodite is still going strong.
The Bronze Bed is a mass of daffs with ‘Cragford’ now being joined ‘Yazz’, and the Hamamelis flowers being picked up by the Melianthus Major flowers. The Melianthus has survived the winter again and, as a consequence, got rather out of hand. I really should have cut it back last year, but with the garden opening in the summer I’m a bit loathe to cut it back now. Perhaps I could perform a tidy up and get away with it?
And meanwhile, the greenhouse is displaying an interesting mix of overwintering tender plants, Winter Sweet Peas
and new seedlings.
And to finish, one of the Greenhouse pots – last year’s N. Bellsong joined by new tulip, T. ‘Mango Charm.’
With thanks to Helen at the Patient Gardener for hosting all the EOMV. Why don’t you take a peek at what others are up to?
