April has certainly lived up to Chaucer’s expectations this year. Showers have been heavy and unpredictable. I have been drenched more than once even though we can often see the rain approaching from our vantage point here high above the weald. Despite, or perhaps because of, the frequent downpours with occasional days of brilliant sunshine the growing conditions have been wonderful and blossom has been as exuberant as I can remember. Our cowslips have multiplied and even the fritillaries, which are usually so shy to flower, are plentiful.
A succession of ornamental cherries have given much joy since early March. First Kursar, one of ‘Cherry’ Ingram’s introductions followed by Arabella which was covered with palest flowers and then came Pink Shell which is still quite young but promising to be spectacular in a few years time. The Great White Cherry, Tai Hakhu, another of ‘Cherry’ Ingram’s introductions, or rather his rediscovery of an iconic tree, is loaded with blossom, white tinged with palest pink set off against the emerging leaves.
Now is the time for the pears to join the display. Pyrus nivalis which was one of our earliest plantings in about 1987 is now a substantial tree and is in full flower. The leaves which are a lovely silver colour will follow soon. Best of all and something I keenly await each year is our old culinary pear which was one of the few plants in the garden when we came here in 1982. It must be 100 years old at least and produces masses of small cooking pears every autumn. But now in late April it is an incredible sight. Perhaps 50 feet high and wide and covered in enchanting white flowers the stamens tipped with black giving them a delightful freckled look.
