It has been an unusual spring, to say the least.
We had daffodils at Christmas and, amazingly, other varieties were blooming at Easter, writes the Anonymous Gardener.
A warm and wet winter was followed by a cold spring which held back flowering.
Tulips waited and waited to bloom as the cold continued. They stood proud in full bud, with just the merest hint of colour.
Tulips waiting for the warmth before blooming
In the sun and in bloom
And then, bang, the weather turned warmer, they quickly bloomed and were over as quickly as they had come.
A gaudy two-coloured bloom
Not an Uckfield garden but just some of the thousands of blooms at the Pashley Manor, Ticehurst, tulip festival from a few weeks ago
Bluebells have been magnificent, both in the garden and the woods.
Peonies fading from deep pink to almost white
Peonies have brought a wonderful splash of colour but the flowers in full sun so quickly turned from deep red, to pink, to white and then needed deadheading.
The warmer weather, interspersed with showers, has seen the grass begin to grow.
Parts of the lawn had suffered throughout the winter leaving sparse areas. To combat this we used a mixture of turf for the larger areas and grass seed for the smaller patches.
The seed seems to take a long time to germinate so in the recent hot weather it has needed plenty of water.
Don’t forget to cut the edges of your lawn every time you mow.
It really does make a difference.
Elsewhere in the garden some planting has been taking place.
We planted crocosmia – Lucifer and some allium, although squirrels seem to have found some of allium bulbs.
Nearly time to wave goodbye to the wallflowers
Don’t hang on too long to the wallflowers and pansies.
Be ruthless, get them out and replace with summer bedding.
There is such a choice available.
Some of our summer bedding ready for planting out
One tip is to sow marigolds or tagetes seeds.
They will be available later in the season to fill any gaps in borders and tubs.
It is something parks and gardens departments do in big cities.
They have a constant supply of bedding coming on during the season, all ready to keep displays at their best and to repair any damage done by vandals.
Glororious clematis tumbling through shrubs
Clematis is blooming, the lilac is out in May and the rhodendrons are looking great. All in all, nature seems to have “righted itself” and we approach summer in the garden just about on cue in this gardener’s world.
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