Although it is still cold at night and we are suffering from a persistent north/east wind the garden is starting to bloom and everything seems to be a week or so earlier than last year. Our magnolia Heaven Scent was certainly flowering two weeks early and thank goodness avoided being frosted so we were able to enjoy its sumptuous flowers. It has been a wonderful year for magnolias, perhaps due to the very wet winter. The beautiful ‘Lois’ has been flowering in spectacular fashion for three weeks now, her flowers are a particularly delightful buttery yellow and appear before the leaves so stand out in all their pristine beauty.
Now in late April the peonies are joining the show, again they are very early. The one I always look forward to seeing is my own seedling from P. Gansu hybrid (sorry to boast but I am really proud of them). Several from the batch flourished and now nearly ten years later are substantial plants. One in particular is closest to the wild species known as P. rockii. Huge white flowers stained purple at the centre are spectacular in bloom. Another has pink petals with purple centres which are still remarkably beautiful. Alas these mouth watering flowers last only a few days but are a good reason never to be away from the garden at this time of year.
