Blooming NOW! April 2020
Taking a walk around my allotment plots, just LOOK what I saw … ki ni mo ri! My Ceanothus plant above is gearing up for a glistening blue and dark green show in early May. Thought I’d give you a sneak preview!
Rosmarinus officinalis or Rosemary, the herb
I have 2 rosemary bushes - one young, and the other, at least 15 years old. This is the old one, always the first to flower. I actually inherited it on one of my plots and have been pruning it gently each year to try to regenerate it slowly. When it became mine, it was in a bad state, straggly and sparsely leaved. It was, and still is heavily encrusted with lichen. I must say, the jury is out for me on lichen. The are supposed to be harmless, but …
Suffice it to say that I can now get a few decent sprigs of rosemary from this plant to season my dishes with.
Cytisus scoparius ‘Palette’
I am obsessed with all plants that have pea-flowers, like this beautiful Cytisus scoparius ‘Palette’ in the foreground that lives near my basket chair on one of my plots. The bright yellow flowers near my basket chair are sprouting broccoli. I plan to harvest my own seeds from them soon.
Cytisus scoparius ‘Vanesse’
And a couple of pale yellow narcissus flowers peeping through. If you look towards the bottom of the picture,you will see the purple bracts of early Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’ flowers forming. I’ll feature them in May. There are five more Cytisus shrubs of all colours to come into flower yet!
Magnolia ‘Fairy White’
Lovely pure white flowers from this magnolia that flowers in spring, and then sporadically through the summer, into the autumn! I have it growing between two mature pear trees. You can see the white, rounded clusters of pear blossom in the background.
Camellia japonica ‘Yours Truly’
Lively pink petals edged in paler pink.
Camellia japonica
‘Hakuhan-kujaku’
This is a unusual Camellia with a ‘pendulous’ weeping habit and red flowers that bow towards the ground. It is also known as the Peacock Camellia. ‘Kujaku’ is the Japanese word for peacock. This is a captivating selection has long narrow "willow-like" leaves which hang from its pendulous branches. It is a slow grower, so it’s taking its time to come into its own. I’m told it can grow as large as the average japonica.
Camellia japonica ‘Angela Cocchi’
This Camellia has a delightful combination of both single-coloured and variegated flowers on one plant - all at the same time! The cameo on the bottom right of the photo shows a flower with more pink and red colouring.
Ribes sangiuneum, or whitecurrant
Pale olive-green crinkly flowers, smaller than the leaves, are on their way to becoming delicious white currants. They’ll be ready to harvest in this summer! My sister makes a lovely crumble with plums, white, red, and black currants, blueberries and blackberries.
More tulips and daffodils
They just keep coming - waves and waves of them! Two naturalised vivid-yellow tulips have joined the red ones that have been blooming since March. Pale yellow daffodils continue to hold their own.
Hyacinthus orientalis
Wonderfully sweet-smelling white hyacinths! I was worried that I’d planted them too late (January) but they’ve done well.
Hyacinthus is a small genus of bulbous, fragrant flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae. They are native to the eastern mediterranean east to Iran and Turkmenistan.
Ah! What fragrance!
Hyacinths at the front of my allotment site. The trough also contains tulips and narcissi, which should make their apprarance soon …
My pear trees are blossoming too
I’ve taken the frost protection sheeting off my Clianthus puniceus plant!
Other names include Lobster’s Claw and Kakabeak
And here’s my final gem …Camellia japonica ‘Donation’
