Bloomin’ Glorious!

I love this time of year, plants and trees are coming to life and we already have numerous plants providing a beautiful display of colour.

One of my favourites is this climbing rose called Rosa Guinee, bred in 1938 by Charles Mallerin. It almost signifies the arrival of spring as it’s one of the first roses to come into flower. Guinee forms beautiful pointy flower buds in April and by the beginning of May we are enjoying an abundance of large, deep-crimson, heavenly scented flowers.

I’m not especially keen on red roses usually, but whilst visiting Harborough Garden centre, near Rye, a couple of years ago, I came across this rose; technically it’s a hybrid tea climber despite it’s huge flowers. It was growing up an arch. As I passed through the arch the perfume coming from the rose was captivating. I couldn’t leave without it. To me, it’s how a rose should smell, and it never fails to make me smile.

The English Bluebell

We planted some Bluebells bulbs, in the wildflower garden on Plot one, a year or so ago. We have been rewarded with some beautiful flowers this year.

The English Bluebell is much more delicate than the Spanish Bluebell, seen below. The English Bluebell has narrow leaves, unlike the fleshy broad leaves of the Spanish variety. And the English Bluebell ‘bells’ are longer, narrower and the ends curl up much more. Whilst the Spanish Bluebells are still very pretty there is nothing quite a beautiful and exciting as the emergence of English Bluebell in the spring

Forget-Me-Nots

We have a blaze of these in the wildflower garden

Chives

The chives are in full bloom,  a row of pretty lilac pom-poms. Although a shame to pick them, the flowers are delicious scattered in salads.

Aquilegia ‘Nora Barlow‘

We planted this a couple of weeks ago on the orchard plots flower border. Another pom-pom type flower, but these are on long stems and hang down like bells. The flowers are incredibly delicate and pretty.

Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’

Again we only planted this on the orchard plot a couple of weeks ago and we are already enjoying deep-lavender-blue flowers. These plants should flower from May through until August.