April | 2020 | Cardesque Garden

My goodness what a change from the extremely wet winter. I have been out with the hose a few times to keep some of the recently planted shrubs and small plants hydrated. The later of the narcissi have now flowered, most of them beat the slugs, but a few have been nibbled before they flowered, some flowers nibbled while in full flower, and a couple chewed down to about 2 inches high!
The Actea is a very tall slender narcissi with a subtle scent. The Pipit is a small petite variety which also have a nice scent. The centre and cup of Pipit fades to a pale creamy yellow.

Narcissus ‘Actaea’ poeticus

Narcissus jonquil ‘Pipit’

The rhododendron looks fine after it’s move at the end of last year. The pieris which was leaning over to the right and was very top heavy has now been chopped quite far down. There was already new growth from the trunk further down, so after a good feed and water I am hoping it will bush out from the base.

leaning Pieris japonica ‘Forest flame’

chopped Pieris japonica ‘Forest flame’

The ivy-leaved toadflax is looking good just now and although some other plants are gradually coming into flower, most of the narcissi are over, so too are the corydalis, and some primroses. I am waiting rather impatiently to see if the nepeta and coreopsis have made it through the winter, as I don’t see any signs of growth yet.

Cymbalaria muralis (ivy-leaved toadflax)

And now for the mistake: I had originally thought of putting the sarcoccoca (winter flowering with fabulous scent) at the back of the garden where it would get quite a lot of shade, but a bit of sun in the morning. I then changed my mind and thought it would be nice to have the scent drift up onto the patio area and so I asked Harry to plant it just in front of the patio. WHY DID I DO THAT?? It gets much more sun there, and every day I checked on it, and it just looked sadder, and sadder. It finally dawned on me that it didn’t like that much sun, so it is now in the shadier stumpery area of the garden. So far a few of the branches look like they are perking up, so hopefully it will survive.

very sad looking Sarcococca hookerian var. digyna ‘Purple stem’

Now is the time of year for the ferns to start uncurling their croziers, and each fern unfurls differently. Oh how I wish I could remember all my ferns names! I will attempt the names of these ones.
Now I am just waiting for some rain, it might just be a shower, in which case I may have to get the hose out tomorrow.

Osmunda regalis ‘Purpuraascens’

Asplenium of some sort

Polystichum ?

Dryopteris crispa congesta

There are a few plants just gone over, and many plants almost in flower, but right at this minute there are plenty of spring plants that give lots of welcome colour. In my back garden few of the shrubs that are in flower now are the Spirea Arguta ‘Bridal wreath’, Pieris japonica ‘Forest flame’, Prunus Shiroto ‘Mount Fugi’, Osmanthus burkwoodii, Viburnum x Bodnantense Dawn, Corylus avellana contorta catkins, and Berberis darwinii
or x lologensis apricot queen. In the front garden is the Mahonia Wagneri pinnacle. I won’t photograph them all but here a few:

Pieris japonica Forest flame

Pieris with fresh leaves

Spirea Arguta Bridal wreath

Prunus Shiroto Mount Fugi

Prunus Shiroto Mount Fugi close up

Berberis Darwinii or x lologensis apricot queen

The Pieris will have to be lopped off once it has flowered I am afraid, because it is leaning all the way over to the right as it is very top heavy. The good news is that around the base is lots of new growth so it won’t be long before it gains height.
The spring plants are dotted around the garden: Anemone blanda white, Brunnera macrophylla and Jack frost, Fritillaria meleagris snakes head, Hellebores (various), Lamium hybridum, Lunaria annua, Myosotis, Narcissi (various), Oxalis acetosella, Primulas (various), Pulmonaria Lewis Palmer, Vinca major and minor, Viola, Corydalis solida pink, Dicentra formosa, Cymbalaria muralis, Epimedium sulphureum, and Tulips Mystic Van Eijk. There are quite a few just ready to come into flower soon.

I am sure the pink tulips were darker last year.
I managed to decapitate one of the tiny Narcissus Segovia as my wheelchair spokes just caught the flower head. Some of the other Narcissi have succumbed to slug or snail damage. Only one Anemone coronaria Bordeaux is in bloom just now. I love the combination of the purple hellebores with the purple stems of hebe, just as the flowers go over on the hellebore, the hebe flowers bloom, although there are a few hebe flowers out just now. The Pulmonaria has lovely pink and blue combo flowers and pretty spotted leaves. Don’t you just LOVE spring!!
The pond however is rather bare as the lockdown due to the coronavirus meant that the pond edges had been tidied up and the overgrown grasses etc taken away, however, the company could not work during lockdown so I am still waiting for the new plants. Only the yellow marsh marigold is in flower at the pond edges.