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’

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)

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