The April Garden




Centaurea montana 'Alba'



Centaurea montana 'Parham'



We have had some very warm days in April, and some very cold and wet days. It hasn’t halted the roses from beginning to bloom before April was gone.  The garden has been a delight – Centaurea montana 'Alba' and C. m. 'Parham' (from Sussex) are both in flower but they don't clump up in my thin soil. 

Geranium ‘Sarah Louisa’ a G. renardii type, G. 'Elizabeth Yeo' and Clematis ‘Guernsey Cream’ have flowered too.  This clematis just doesn’t thrive – it is in sun but the roots are well shaded and the first bud had already flowered and was nearly spent by the time I noticed it hiding beneath Rosa ‘Aloha’ - which has also had two flowers.  The second bud had made it through and flowered at eye level.  Forget-me-nots proliferate – and we were pleased to see some seedlings growing in our neighbours garden.  A wild white violet that we inherited when we came, has spread rapidly almost at the expense of the purple one.  It is such a sweet little flower with a light fragrance. Geranium nodosum ‘Saucy Charlie’, named after my daughter Sorcha, will flower within the next few days; and a few G. nodosum seedlings are growing nearby – I will wait for them to flower with interest.

I have an article in the next Hardy Plant journal which talks about my garden in Italy – read it if you can and give me some feedback please.



White wild violets