Tag: spring flowers

Eranthises or winter aconites are a joy to witness in late winter and early spring with their buttercup-shaped flowers and collars of attractive filigree leaves beautifully carpeting the garden floor. Try mixing with other woodland bulbs such as erythroniums, trilliums, snowdrops and wood anemones. They are a great source of early nectar for Read more...

Dracunculi vulgaris or dragon arums are particularly striking tuberous perennials bearing a single large maroon-flower with an almost black spadix, enhanced by bold leaves emerging from spotted buds. Sadly, their beauty is not measured by their strong and putrid aroma which is why dracunculi are best planted at the back of the border and away from Read more...

Hardy cyclamens produce dainty swept back flowers and ivy to round shaped, often marbled leaves. Beautifully hugging the ground, they will bring interest to the garden in late winter and early spring whilst hederifolium varieties will add a dash of colour in late autumn. They are excellent for planting in a woodland setting or under deciduous Read more...

Chionodoxas or glories of the snow are charming plants native to the eastern Mediterranean region producing clusters of star-shaped flowers in early spring. Particularly suited for the grass border, rockery and woodland garden, these hardy, carefree bulbs will happily naturalise and increase in numbers over the years by shedding seeds. Try planting Read more...

Camassias or quamashes provide a link from the spring bulbs to early summer hardy perennials. Flowering around the same time as alliums, they are especially suited for prairie planting and meadow grass borders — when planting in grass, leave the long strappy leaves for around six to eight weeks before mowing. Camassia Cusickii is usually Read more...

Also known as Italian lords-and-ladies, arums Italicum are attractive tuberous perennials originally native to the Mediterranean regions. Appearing towards the end of the summer, their arrow-shaped leaves will fade as creamy white flowers appear in the spring. As these begin to wither from late September, berries will gradually start emerging Read more...

Anemones nemerosa or wood anemones will sparkle in the late winter and early spring sun before the tree canopy closes in. Sporting pretty daisy-like flowers which will close on dulls days before reappearing as soon as the sun shines, these delightful herbaceous perennials will provide you with a spectactular show in early spring whilst also Read more...

Anemones blanda or Grecian windflowers produce charming daisy-type flowers above dark green basal foliage. Gradually carpeting the ground as they self-seed, these lovely varieties will provide early nectar to hungry pollinators in late winter. Perfect for the woodland garden, they will happily naturalise under trees and shrubs Read more...

These gorgeous bulbs will lend a shot of faded colour to your late autumn garden. Their leaves appear after the flowers so let the whole plant die back before tidying or mowing the dead remains. The three varieties need to be planted as follows: Autumn Crocus: Autumn crocus bulbs prefer gritty, poor to moderately fertile, well-drained soil in Read more...

Are crocuses Bulbs or Corms? Crocuses are corms, which means they grow in a particular way. The body of the corm is a solid mass of starchy food storage. They are hard but they should still look plump and fresh. The best size for crocus is a size of over 7cm diameter. The flower grows by creating a new stem from the top of the corm. Once the Read more...