Welsh Country March-April 2017

GARDENING
The Early
Spring Garden
‘‘By March the carpets of crocuses and aconites are fading and the daffodils are springing up
everywhere as the true heralds of spring’’ - Penny Davies
“In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of ” - well, we know the answer to that one, but perhaps
gardening fills the gap for those not in the first flush of youth! I really believe that the signs of growth and regeneration
in the natural world evoke a primitive response in us too. Somehow or other we absorb the signs, from lambs in the
fields to the bulbs shooting at our feet and, especially, as we move towards the vernal equinox, the growing of the light.
Seasoned gardeners will have had itchy feet for weeks, dashing out in mild weather to clear up the last of the leaves
and remove decaying stems to let in the light and air and peering here and there to spot early treasures - the first
hellebore flower or the scarlet blossom on the quince. By March the carpets of crocuses and aconites are fading and the
daffodils are springing up everywhere as the true heralds of spring. You might not have the ten thousand that inspired
Wordsworth but most of us have a few and it’s well worth finding out more about them. The RHS lists nine horticultural
divisions of narcissi with a wide span of flowering and great variety of habit. Early flowerers such as “February Gold”
can come out at Christmas in a really sheltered position and of course in Wales the Tenby daffodil (n. obvallaris) also
braves the cold. Ideal for naturalising is the Lent lily (n. pseudonarcissus) with its nodding yellow flowers and large
darker trumpets. If you are looking for daintier blooms to grow with other small bulbs in pots or near the house, the
hoop petticoat daffodil (n. bulbocodium) makes a change from the well-known “Tête-à-tête” which is susceptible to
viruses. Some varieties such as “Thalia”, which has three flowers on each stem, or the beautifully named “Poet’s daffodil”
(n. poeticus), flower in late April and look perfect beneath flowering cherry and crab. So think about planting some
new ones and look after the old by deadheading, letting the leaves die down for at least six weeks before mowing and
scattering some bone-meal around their flowering positions.
Helleborus x hybridus Washfield, The Crystal Garden
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