Pear Tree Blossoms

When the pear tree blooms, I always find myself thinking of the poem Home Thoughts From Abroad by Robert Browning. Everyone knows the first line, "Oh to be in England, now that April's there...",  but further on he remembers "where my blossomed pear-tree in the hedge/ Leans to the field and scatters on the clover/ Blossoms and dewdrops..."



Where my pear tree grows, there's no hedge or field or clover, but it does scatter its petals like large white snowflakes over everything beneath it.

Pear Tree Blossoms

When the pear tree blooms, I always find myself thinking of the poem Home Thoughts From Abroad by Robert Browning. Everyone knows the first line, "Oh to be in England, now that April's there...",  but further on he remembers "where my blossomed pear-tree in the hedge/ Leans to the field and scatters on the clover/ Blossoms and dewdrops..."

Where my pear tree grows, there's no hedge or field or clover, but it does scatter its petals like large white snowflakes over everything beneath it.

A Week of Contrasts

On the last day of March, we had a sudden afternoon thunderstorm accompanied by a flurry of hail.

As so often with these spring weather happenings, it was so local that our friends further west had none of it.

Now, just a week later, we have a spell of sunny weather and everything is bursting into bloom. 

The daffodils were already flowering and to my surprise came through the pummelling without any visible damage. 

My favourite grape hyacinth, two-tone blue Muscari latifolium has emerged underneath them to make a cheerful combination of colours.

A variety of different primulas scattered about are are making bright patches where later perennials have yet to break ground.

The first to bloom are a couple of fat little doubles that hug the ground in tight clumps. I find them a bit lacking in elegance but the fact that they are so early and flower in such profusion without crowding their neighbours has led me to acquire a number of different varieties.

Primula 'Sue Jervis'

Primula 'Dawn Ansell'

The blue flower accompanying 'Dawn Ansell' is Anemone blanda, one of several wood anemones I've collected. It pops up virtually overnight around the beginning of March and sticks around until it's overtaken by the more delicate Anemone nemorosa 'Robinsoniana', a paler lavender-blue.

Anemone nemorosa 'Robinsoniana'

Going briefly back to the primulas, I've been charmed by 'Lady Greer', another delicate woodlander. The opening petals have a slight pink blush that fades to cream.

Primula' Lady Greer'

It's in the same bed as some trilliums, but luckily not too close as I think their crisp white petals on stiffly upright stems might make 'Lady Greer' look less ladylike.

Trillium grandiflorum

Lastly, a small triumph for me this spring. I've never had much luck with snakehead fritillaries, but for once I've been rewarded with two small flowers on Fritillaria meleagris. Behind them is Heuchera 'Sugar Plum' in similar colours.

Fritillaria meleagris

A Week of Contrasts

On the last day of March, we had a sudden afternoon thunderstorm accompanied by a flurry of hail.

As so often with these spring weather happenings, it was so local that our friends further west had none of it.

Now, just a week later, we have a spell of sunny weather and everything is bursting into bloom. 

The daffodils were already flowering and to my surprise came through the pummelling without any visible damage. 

My favourite grape hyacinth, two-tone blue Muscari latifolium has emerged underneath them to make a cheerful combination of colours.

A variety of different primulas scattered about are are making bright patches where later perennials have yet to break ground.

The first to bloom are a couple of fat little doubles that hug the ground in tight clumps. I find them a bit lacking in elegance but the fact that they are so early and flower in such profusion without crowding their neighbours has led me to acquire a number of different varieties.

Primula 'Sue Jervis'

Primula 'Dawn Ansell'

The blue flower accompanying 'Dawn Ansell' is Anemone blanda, one of several wood anemones I've collected. It pops up virtually overnight around the beginning of March and sticks around until it's overtaken by the more delicate Anemone nemorosa 'Robinsoniana', a paler lavender-blue.

Anemone nemorosa 'Robinsoniana'

Going briefly back to the primulas, I've been charmed by 'Lady Greer', another delicate woodlander. The opening petals have a slight pink blush that fades to cream.

Primula' Lady Greer'

It's in the same bed as some trilliums, but luckily not too close as I think their crisp white petals on stiffly upright stems might make 'Lady Greer' look less ladylike.

Trillium grandiflorum

Lastly, a small triumph for me this spring. I've never had much luck with snakehead fritillaries, but for once I've been rewarded with two small flowers on Fritillaria meleagris. Behind them is Heuchera 'Sugar Plum' in similar colours.

Fritillaria meleagris

Good-looking Hellebores

Every gardener knows that not all varieties of a particular species are created equal. Some thrive, some sulk. I know I've posted lots of images of hellebores in previous years, but it's worth highlighting the ones that have flourished and expanded to give the most satisfactory results.



My favourite this year is 'Rose Quartz', which has not only blossomed enthusiastically, but gone through an interesting colour change in the course of four weeks.

In February it looked like this:

A month later, it had opened out to show the stamens while the colour had changed to a warm pink with darker feathering.

'Cherry Blossom' is usually first of the Lenten types to flower and never disappoints. It lasts for a long period too, at least 6 weeks. In this photo it's beginning to lose its freshness but still looks pretty good.

'Rachel' has been another star performer and complements the colour of our house. Its green ruffs frame it enough to allow it to stand out.

Finally, I've mentioned in the past how sad 'Jade Tiger' was when I acquired it and how well it seemed to be responding. This year it looked much more like a happy plant although it still needs a bit of support to keep it upright.

Good-looking Hellebores

Every gardener knows that not all varieties of a particular species are created equal. Some thrive, some sulk. I know I've posted lots of images of hellebores in previous years, but it's worth highlighting the ones that have flourished and expanded to give the most satisfactory results.

My favourite this year is 'Rose Quartz', which has not only blossomed enthusiastically, but gone through an interesting colour change in the course of four weeks.
In February it looked like this:

A month later, it had opened out to show the stamens while the colour had changed to a warm pink with darker feathering.

'Cherry Blossom' is usually first of the Lenten types to flower and never disappoints. It lasts for a long period too, at least 6 weeks. In this photo it's beginning to lose its freshness but still looks pretty good.

'Rachel' has been another star performer and complements the colour of our house. Its green ruffs frame it enough to allow it to stand out.

Finally, I've mentioned in the past how sad 'Jade Tiger' was when I acquired it and how well it seemed to be responding. This year it looked much more like a happy plant although it still needs a bit of support to keep it upright.

Welcome to Spring

What a difference a month makes!  On February 5th, I was recording the aftermath of a sudden snowfall.

On March 6th, the same crocus were luxuriating in spring sunshine. 

By mid-month, the black willow (Salix gracilistyla 'Melanostachys') was at its prettiest and a considerable contrast to its bedraggled black February buds.

The back garden is still a long way from its summer profusion, but the beginnings of growth are visible everywhere.

One of my most successful corners at this time of year has quite a few early flowers competing for attention. Under the pale yellow canopy of Corylopsis pauciflora, fading winter aconites and snowdrops have given way to several hellebores and the blue, daisy-like Anemone blanda.

A single golden Erythronium is in bloom behind clumps of double white primula 'Dawn Ansell', which is just showing buds. In another couple of days, they and the delicate wands of Tulipa turkestanica will fill in some gaps.

The little anemone is a spreader and will, I hope, eventually fill in more of the gaps.

 Its drawback is that it disappears completely by summer, which means I need to find it a later-blooming companion able to live in harmony with it.

On the other side of the back garden, Narcissus 'Jack Snipe' has just leapt into flower.

This is such a good performer, expanding its flower production every year. Back here among the raspberry canes, its dying foliage will be rapidly obscured by the leafy growth of perennials in front of it.

Meanwhile, along the side of the house, fresh leaves on Schizophragma hydrangeoides 'Moonlight' are brightening the very dark alley.

Perhaps this will be the year that this climbing hydrangea relative will bloom for the first time. Even if it doesn't, the marbled foliage will provide some interest here, as will the cyclamen planted below. I've planted both spring-blooming Cyclamen coum and fall-blooming Cyclamen hederifolium to make the most of a narrow strip of earth in a very shady location.