By Thea Hegland

The familiar smell of fresh cut grass fills the air signaling spring has finally come and we are all waiting with bated breath to get outside and play. With still some snow on parts of the ground, the gardeners have adjusted and begun to work around the patches, carrying on doing what they do best of all; make The Gardens look amazing.

The Concert Lawn was the first to see the rolling blades as the Turf Crew literally hit the green with authority and fired up the mowers announcing to all that the time has come, ready or not – it’s springtime. Home of the Summer Concert Series, this lawn is meticulously maintained and mowed roughly 64 times per year.

The Concert Lawn

Behind the scenes the greenhouse technicians have been busy propagating plants for the upcoming seasons. Dahlia cuttings are taken, Begonia seedlings are ready to be “pricked out”, cuttings taken in January have been rooted and are now ready to make the journey from sand to soil as they are potted up. Greenhouse operations are very critical to the show of flora in The Gardens and March signals the start of the busiest time for the skilled technicians.

Hanging Viola (Pansy) baskets

Out in the garden, Viola (Pansy) baskets have just been put out, adding splashes of colour here and there. Simple, yet so understated… these pretty flowers come in an array of colours and offer a sweet subtle fragrance. Spring favourite, Narcissus ‘Tete- a -Tete’ has risen from the ground in a burst of sunny yellow, early flowering spring shrubs and trees are poised, ready to open. Magnolia stellata (Star magnolia) with its silky buds and the Prunus cerasifera ‘Pissardii’ are a few warm sunny days away from exploding in to gorgeous blooms. Other highlights include the Helleborus (Hellebore), Erica (Heather), and the unusual, Abeliophyllum distichum (White forsythia). One of my favourites is the Anemone blanda (Grecian windflower) that will soon bloom along the banks of the Sunken Garden exit path.

Anemone blanda (Grecian windflower)

With Spring Break happening, a visit to the beautiful gardens is a perfect place to enjoy your time!

Plants that are currently blooming

• Abeliophyllum distichum (White forsythia)
• Anemone blanda (Grecian windflower)
• Arabis
• Aubrieta
• Aucuba japonica (Spotted laurel)
• Bellis (English daisy)
• Bergenia (Elephant’s ears)
• Camellia
• Correa (Australian fuchsia)
• Cotoneaster
• Crocus
• Cyclamen
• Daphne odora
• Edgeworthia chrysantha (Paper bush)
• Eranthis(Winter aconite)
• Erica (Heather)
• Galanthus nivalis (Snowdrop)
• Garrya elliptica (Silk- tassel bush)
• Hamamelis (Witch hazel)
• Helleborus (Christmas rose)
• Ilex verticillata (Winterberry)
• 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)
• Pieris (Lily -of – the valley shrub)
• Polyanthus (Primula)
• Prunus (Flowering plum)
• Pyracantha
• Rhododendron
• Ribes (Flowering currant)
• Sarcococca (Christmas box)
• Scilla (Squill)
• Skimmia japonica
• Tulipa (Tulip)
• Viburnum x bodnantense
• Viburnum tinus
• Viola