What's Looking Good March 2025

Camellias, Snakes head Fritillary.

 

Thank you Victoria

 

I noticed that the recent winter seems to have been ideal for tulips. I have so many tulips developing, it proves that clay soil can be tolerated and digging out is not always necessary to do.

 

Yes my first ones have already opened. Several "Sylvestris" and one "Ballerina".

 

Viola "Neptune".



With its companion, parsley.

 

The little Azure Rush I planted out last week, winning a prime slot despite close competition, had one little leaf showing. Now …

 

So colourful!

 

I've already posted too many pictures of my red Hellebores, but they looked amazing with the sun shining through them today.


I was out in the garden for most of the day before I noticed the quince was flowering. This quince was here when I bought the house over 30 years ago, and used to bear fruit. I neglected the garden for many years and it was lost under brambles. When I finally cleared it, I recognised a few surviving twigs. These are the first flowers since then. I don't know if I'll get fruit again - the trees have grown much bigger in the intervening years so it's in a shady spot now. But I remember the quinces smelt glorious - I didn't eat them but just left them in a fruit bowl to scent the room.

 

Mahonia

 

Bright and cheery ... but the thorny leaves put me off.

 

Thank you Sienna

 

They're a selling point to me - but I've planted mine in a spot where I shouldn't ever need to prune it.
Surprised to see one in full flower though - they all finished flowering long ago in my area, and the berries are starting to ripen.

 

Its Mahonia aquafolium, its spring flowering.
Incidentally I came across a very large plant of this in the woods the other day, was at least 6 ft high with a spread of probably 10ft.

 

There's a winter flowering one around the corner from me which is even bigger. It's in the garden of a derelict bungalow, and is taller than the bungalow and wider than it is tall. I kept meaning to get a picture of it when it was in flower - absolutely smothered - but of course never got around to it.

 

I've got a 30yr old plant of M "charity", I hacked it hard back a couple of months ago, and not for the first time, it would also be pretty massive if had left it to its own devises over the years.
The thing that always strikes me when cutting them back is how intense the yellow colour of the wood is.