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April 1st: Waking up after winter

After the cold (should I say "normal") winter we were half expecting plants to be late. None of it. Plants awoke after a proper winter rest ready to perform and many including Centaurea (like Joyce, right) and Geum were earlier than usual. 

Centaurea are already in full bloom with C. cheiranthifolia a star plant in the back garden. They will bloom until June - July when they can be cut back for more flowers in Aug - Oct. (Actually they went right on blooming until October - Martin Oct 09)

April 2nd: Brazen Hussey!

Christopher Lloyd had a way with naming plants with a particular favourite being Ranunculus  "Brazen Hussey" with bronze foliage and bright yellow flowers. 

Beware that they are invasive and the tiny bulbules will root and take hold wherever dropped! Once flowering is over they disappear below ground so we plant them under deciduous shrubs.

We are continuing to divide plants. Heleniums are still fine to divide as are Asters, Boltonia, Kalimeris. Its good now to divide plants with a woody or rhizomous rootstock like old world Salvia, Hemerocallis, Kniphofia. 

Phlox can be divided but its a bit late if you want perfect flowers this year. 

With the latter I find its best to pot up divisions and grow on under glass or a cloche. In the open they tend to rot off.

Its also a good time to move herbaceous plants.

We take some care to protect hardy plants whose foliage is damaged by late frosts (i.e. they aren't killed just set back). These include Persicaria Red Dragon and Maclayea.  We put a plastic bag or sheet of garden fleece over the plants on frosty nights. Flower buds (of e.g. Camellia) can also be damaged and it is advisable to plant these where they don't get the morning sun as rapid defrosting will cause damage.

We don't start mulching yet as the ground is not warm enough.

Continue to watch for slugs

Watch Day Lily (Hemerocallis) buds twice a week and remove any that swell at the base. This is sign of Gall Midge and if left it can destroy all the flowers but if nipped off early nearly all flowers will develop. Bag up the buds, seal and dispose of in the bin or burn the buds. Do not drop or compost.

In dry spells greenfly multiply before their natural predators are active. Rub off or spray in the evenings. 

April 7th New Growth

Many herbaceous perennials are well into growth now and one of the loveliest as it pushes through the soil and up into the light is Phlox paniculata Starfire with its red-bronze leaves and stems. 

April 11th Hellebore seedlings

Hellebores self seed really well including the sun lovers like x.sternii.  This is a seedling from that hybrid with its pale green flowers and spiky-edged glossy leaves. The seedlings gradually revert to a form more similar to one their parents H.argutifolius. 

I find it best to let them self-seed rather than saving seed and sowing in compost. They can take a year or so to germinate and are quite slow growing as seedlings.

April 12th Acers in Flower

I've never really looked at our Acer davidii Serpentine in flower before but today I noticed the tiny pink-green flowers and larger pink bracts along the stems.  

April 13th Dorothy Clive Garden Plant Hunters' Fair

What a lovely day we had at The Dorothy Clive Garden Plant Hunters' Fair today. We organise the fair for the charitable trust that runs the garden so we were a bit apprehensive as to the weather and whether people would come out to support the fair. We need not have worried as over 2000 people came along to provide welcome funds for the garden and choose from a great selection of plants from some of our nursery friends. Talking after the event with the curator, Marcus Chilton-Jones we've agreed to hold the event over two days (Easter Sunday and Monday) next year.  We are already looking forward to the August Bank Holiday plant fair at the garden. Both events make a great day out with 12 acres of wonderful gardens and a fabulous plant fair.

One of our favourite Geums is Bell Bank which was introduced by Geoffrey Smith that great Yorkshireman and gardener.  

It is fully double and a lovely shade or pink with a wide boss of yellow stamens. 

22nd April

Alchemilla mollis is one of those plants most of us grow that fades into the background, quietly doing its job. We sometimes notice the pools of dew that form on the leaves, but have you ever wondered why and how they form. 

One of our sons is studying the Superhydrophobic properties of plant leaves for his doctorate in theoretical physics and apparently droplet formation is not just due to a waxy surface but to the microscopic arrangement of hairs on the leaves which prevent the water molecules from spreading and hold them as droplets. The research will have many practical applications such as improved non-stick surfaces.