PLANTS IN FLOWER: Magnolias, Hellebores, Dwarf Daffodils, Cherry Blossom, Grape Hyacinth, Hyacinths, Blackthorn, Auriculas, Forget-me-not, Early Tulips, Iris BucharicaShopping for plants at Columbia Road flower market in East London is no longer a bargain. The area has become very trendy in the last few years and the street prices reflect this! I bought a good sized white magnolia 'Stella' for £10 on Easter Sunday but even the herbs at the market are £2 each now. It is better to grow most perennials from seed in any case, and I have quite a few seedlings which I have propagated these last weeks ... maroon hollyhocks, white foxgloves and a few different types of grasses, such as the feathery mauve Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum).
Early April has been sunny and warm this year and the weeds are growing fast. I have bought four tons of composting bark to put on the herbaceous border to try and prevent the garden getting out of hand like last year. The sunny days towards the end of the month gave me the opportunity to weed the border and get most of the bark down. In these south facing beds, the large clumps of pulmonaria are now interspersed with clumps of the early white tulip 'White Emperor' and the stunning maroon tulip 'Queen of Night'. The fresh green leaves of several varieties of herbaceous geraniums, ladies mantle and astrantia are pushing through the dark earth optimistically.
Visiting Kew Gardens right at the end of this month has inspired me to focus more on aromatic plants in Green Valley. There is a beautiful small garden at Kew called the 'Nosegay Garden' which is tucked away beyond all the main attractions, such as the vast greenhouses full of tropical plants, the avenues of rhododendrons and swathes of flowering blossom which look so spectacular at this time of year. Here, herbs and medicinal plants are arranged around an oblong plot with a sunken garden at the centre; while around the edge, weeping yellow chains of laburnum flowers are trained over a pergola. The intimate atmosphere of this hidden garden seemed somehow exquisite amidst the grandeur of the other attractions, with its humble plants such as sage, thyme, lavender and soapwort together with more statuesque plants such as angelica and artichoke emerging from symmetrical narrow beds.