April Abundance for GBBD.

We have had some really beautiful weather this month, we could almost think it was summer some days, then the wind turns around and comes from the north and reminds us that it is still only April. Flowers  have been opening in quick succession and if they have caught a hot spell, they are over in no time at all which is a shame.

Narcissus Pipit is one of our last daffodils to flower, it has such a beautiful perfume.

King Cup, Caltha palustris is taking over at the end of the pond, some serious cutting back will have to be done when it has finished flowering.

Beautiful cowslips, Primula veris, are popping up everywhere, this clump will have to be split and spread around.

Iris japonica is putting out more and more flowers, they just keep coming. They are so small and so pretty.

Epimedium Amber Queen is the star of the woodland at the moment, I love its cheeky little flowers, the purple flowers behind are of Honesty.

Geum Totally Tangerine is gearing up for a summer full of flowers.

Rhododendrons have started to flower!

A very pretty white Dicentra.

Lamprocapnos spectabilis.

Clematis montana up the oak tree is starting to flower, I’ve never known it this early before.

Japanese Azalea has more flowers than leaves showing at the moment.

Primroses are spreading beautifully on the north facing bank in the woodland.

Meconopsis cambrica, the Welsh Poppy is popping up where least expected, they make a nice bright splash in the shady parts of the garden.

Erythronium White Beauty is hiding under one of the rhododendrons in the woodland.

It’s bluebell time, Hyacynthoides non scripta, the English bluebell is colonising the bank at the end of the woodland.

Double Anemone nemerosa Vestal  is such a beautiful little flower which is increasing nicely.

I can only grow tulips in pots due to our heavy soil and wet winters. These have been a success and brighten up the gravel area.

That is a round up of some of the flowers in the garden at the moment. Every day I seem to find something new, so I’m tempted out no matter what the weather is doing. Sometimes it is 6am so is a little chilly!

Many thanks go to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting the monthly meme of GBBD, please pay her a visit and see what is blooming around the world.

 

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24 Responses to April Abundance for GBBD.

  1. Sally says:

    Hi Pauline. Wow! Abundance, indeed. You have so many wonderful and interesting blooms. Iris Japonica really caught my eye. Thank you for sharing your cheery garden. Happy Gardening!

    • Pauline says:

      Iris japonica has a very pretty flower Sally, only about 2 inches across but there are so many of them that it doesn’t matter that they are small. I hope you have a good weekend gardening!

  2. Chloris says:

    Yes, the wind is chilly today, typical Easter weather. But still it is wonderful to have so many spring blooms to enjoy. I love your English bluebells, I am overrun with Spanish ones and they are impossible to eradicate.

    • Pauline says:

      A cool wind keeping the temperatures down today Liz, but the sunshine is lovely. I keep pulling Spanish bluebells out every year but they don’t seem to get any less, goodness knows who planted them in the woodland!

  3. VP says:

    It’s a strange April this year – it looks like the tulips will have been and gone by the end of the month, but the late daffodils will be hanging on! I do like your white Erythronium – I’ve just dipped my toe into the water of this new world with a yellow one

    • Pauline says:

      My tulips are in pots, so I have to keep remembering to water them, they are going over far too quickly. Erythroniums are so pretty, I have to make sure I don’t go on holiday when they are due to flower, or I would miss them, they are so fleeting, worth it though. We have a yellow one too and a pink one called Knighthayes, but I’m still waiting for them to flower.

  4. Steve says:

    I agree with you that Epimedium Amber Queen is a delight. Ours is just coming into flower now but some of the other Epimediums are looking great

    • Pauline says:

      Epimedium Amber Queen is my favourite plant at the moment Steve, its sprays of flowers just get better and better each day. I have others but the flowers all seem smaller by comparison.

  5. Alison says:

    It’s very cold and wet here too, but most days I get out there and pull at least one weed. I still have so much to do. Your spring flowers are so cheerful and lovely. Happy GBBD!

    • Pauline says:

      I need to pull more weeds than that Alison, it seems never ending! Fortunately the flowers are just about managing to hide the weeds, giving me a chance to catch up!

  6. Cathy says:

    Reading your post made me realise how easily we can focus on the new discoveries without giving due respect to the stalwarts – I took pictures of wood anemones, bluebells and cowslip for my post, but then didn’t include them, which is unfair on them as they bring so much pleasure. I shall look out for Iris japonica which sounds a useful plant – where is yours growing?

    • Pauline says:

      Wouldn’t be without the stalwarts Cathy, they are so useful for filling spaces. My Iris japonica is growing in full sun under the sitting room window, but I think they are really edge of woodland plants. I tried some in the woodland but they didn’t survive. A word of warning though, the leaves are very messy, something likes to eat them!

  7. Denise says:

    Lovely to see all your flowers Pauline. There is still so little in my Swedish garden. Geum totally orange is I believe an asset to any garden. Am now in the UK for a few days with visits to Beth Chatto and Hyde Hall on the agenda!

    • Pauline says:

      How wonderful that you are going to Beth Chatto’s garden, she has been such an inspiration to me and I refer to her books such a lot. Hyde Hall has changed such a lot since I last visited when our daughter lived in Essex, that was 16 yrs ago, I’m sure you will enjoy it.

  8. Christina says:

    Spring is still hanging on in your garden Pauline, I can see that mine is slipping into summer much too early! I love the Epimediums, I think they are such underrated plants. The wind is still very cold here if that is any consolation.

    • Pauline says:

      We are only half way through Spring Christina, I don’t want summer just yet thank you! I am so pleased with Epimedium Amber Queen, such a beautiful plant with so many gorgeous flowers. We still have our cold wind reminding us that summer isn’t with us yet.

  9. Susie says:

    Very lovely examples of spring blooms Pauline. The Dicentra is indeed a charming flower. We’re had high temperatures here on some days and as you’re experiencing, it is forcing the flowers to hurry through their cycles all too quickly.

    • Pauline says:

      Thank you Susie. It is a shame when spring flowers find the weather too hot, we humans might like it but they certainly don’t!

  10. rusty duck says:

    I’m sure the bluebells are early this year.. ours are usually out for next month’s GBBD. Today I reckon about a third of them are open already.

  11. snowbird says:

    Everything seems early this year. My Montana is blooming too. Like Chloris, I too have the Spanish thugs, I cannot get rid of them. Lovely to see your English ones. I love the Iris and those Epimediums are a charming colour, how well they sit with the Honesty. Your garden is just charming, how lovely.xxx

    • Pauline says:

      There are some Spanish bluebells here Dina, goodness knows who planted them, they were here when we arrived, but I dig loads out each year, they still come back unfortunately. I agree, lots seem to be early this year, we have had more warm weather than usual,maybe this has a lot to do with is.

  12. Jason says:

    I love the Welsh Poppy. Also your Epimediums seem to have unusually large flowers. April is certainly beautiful in your garden.

    • Pauline says:

      I like the Welsh Poppy too Jason, some people say that it is too generous with its offspring, but I find that it manages to put itself in just the right places. The flowers of E.Amber Queen are quite a bit larger than my other Epimedium flowers, that’s probably why I like them so much!

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