By Thea Hegland

February always seems to just fly by and the first glimpses of spring are quite enjoyable. Often the weather here can be rather mild and one can forget that it is actually still winter. This February ended with a bitter cold front and more snow than we bargained for and March arrived swirling and twirling unpredictably.

A late February snow covers The Sunken Garden

Pretty and pleasing, the fragrant shrubs of winter flower persistently.  Hamamelis (Witch hazel), Viburnum bodnantense and Sarcoccoa boldly bloom under cool skies. Cheerful little Viola (Pansy) will soon brighten up the baskets and containers. Some of the early varieties of Narcissus have already risen from the ground in February with a ‘spring tease’ –  bursts of yellow amongst other late winter flowering bulbs such as Crocus, Iris and Galanthus. Some other noteworthy highlights include the rather unique Abeliophyllum distichum (White forsythia) and the heavenly Helleborus (Hellebore).

Hanging Viola baskets add a splash of colour

Visitors to The Gardens will enjoy the diverse collection of classic spring beauties that begin to emerge as March progresses. Early flowering spring shrubs and trees are poised with elegant buds ready to flower; Magnolia stellata (Star magnolia) with its silky buds and Prunus cerasifera ‘Pissardii’ (Flowering plum) are among the first to flower. The wonderful thing about the Flowering plum is that it makes an excellent display when freshly cut branches are forced in a nice vase indoors.

Prunus cerasifera ‘Pissardii’ (Flowering plum)

March is always a very busy month for our Gardening Staff. Outdoors, staff are busy preparing the flower beds for the spring; dead wooding trees and shrubs, cleaning up after winter windstorms, mulching beds and scratching the soil between plants.  In our greenhouses, skilled technicians are in the throes of the busiest time of the year. This is where we propagate our plants for the upcoming seasons and smooth operations are critical to the success of our upcoming floral displays. Approximately 188,000 plants grown here are started from seed and they are ready to be “pricked out” – a tedious task that must be done timely.  The 19,000 cuttings taken in January have been rooted and are now ready to be potted up as well as the arrival of 60,000 vegetative plugs will also need potting.

Inside the greenhouses seedlings have been ‘pricked out’ into flats

Meanwhile, The Spring Prelude is a wonderful way to while away some time. Full of inspiration and rejuvenation – it is not to be missed!

Take in the beauty of the Spring Prelude until March 19

Plants, trees, and shrubs that are currently blooming

• Abeliophyllum distichum (White forsythia)
• Anemone (Grecian windflower)
• Arabis
• Aubrieta
• Aucuba japonica (Spotted laurel)
• Bellis (English daisy)
• Bergenia (Elephant’s ears)
• Camellia
• Cotoneaster
• Crocus
• Cyclamen
• Daphne odora (Winter Daphne)
• Edgeworthia chrysantha (Paper bush)
• Erianthus (Winter aconite)
• Erica (Heather
• Galanthus nivalis (Snowdrop)
• Hamamelis (Witch hazel)
• Helleborus (Christmas rose)
• Ilex verticillata (Winterberry)
• Iris reticulata
• Jasminium nudiflorum (Winter jasmine)
• Lonicera fragrantissima (Honeysuckle)
• Mahonia x media ‘Charity’ (Oregon grape)
• Nandina domestica (Heavenly bamboo)
• Narcissus (Daffodil)
• Ophiopogon planiscapus (Black mondo grass)
• Orchid
• Pulmonaria (Lungwort)
• Pansy
• Pieris (Lily -of – the valley shrub)
• Polyanthus (Primula)
• Prunus (Flowering plum)
• Pyracantha
• Rhododendron
• Ribes (Flowering currant)
• Sarcococca (Christmas box)
• Scilla (Squill)
• Skimmia japonica
• Tulipa
• Viburnum x bodnantense
• Viburnum tinus
• Viola

 

Indoor plants, trees, and shrubs that are currently blooming

• Amaryllis
• Anthurium (Flamingo flower)
• Azalea
• Bromeliad
• Camellia
• Crocus
• Cyclamen
• Edgeworthia chrysantha (Paper bush)
• Erica (Heather)
• Forsythia
• Hamamelis (Witch hazel)
• Helleborus (Christmas rose)
• Iris reticulata
• Kalanchoe
• Loropetalum chinese ‘Razzleberri’
• Magnolia x soulangeana (Saucer magnolia)
• Medinilla magnifica
• Narcissus (Daffodil)
• Ophiopogon planiscapus (Black mondo grass)
• Orchid
• Pachystachys lutea (Lollipop plant)
• Pansy
• Pieris (Lily -of – the valley shrub)
• Polyanthus (Primula)
• Prunus (Flowering plum)
• Ribes (Flowering currant)
• Sarcococca (Christmas box)
• Sciadopitys verticillata (Japanese umbrella pine)
• Sissingia leucotrichia
• Skimmia japonica
• Stachyurus
• Stromanthe
• Tulipa
• Viburnum x bodnantense
• Viburnum tinus
• Viola