Mid April

Early morning watering

A prolonged dry spell coupled with new plantings means we have to start using our watering system again.  Christina had the fun job of checking each small spray and sprinkler to remove any miniature snails that had taken up residence and blocked the outlets!

I've already planted out some Geum and Verbena rigida which I grew from seed last autumn and they seem to have established themselves in the warm soil.  We also have a few tomatoes in containers, soon to be joined by some Italian bell peppers which came up recently.  Other than that we have no plans - or space - for veg this year.

Other seeds which are hardening off now include Rudbeckia hirta, Cosmos sulphureus, Phlomis tuberosa, Nicotiana alata and a Penstemon with dark foliage... looking at all the greenery, I realise we're in need of much more foliage contrast.

Cotinus coggygria coming into leaf

One of the best shrubs for this purpose is the smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria) which can grow to about 3m if left to its own devices.  Ours is part of a border along the neighbouring driveway so we keep it firmly in check otherwise it would turn into a tree in no time.

It's currently producing wonderful wine-coloured foliage, which complements our neighbour's roses in his potager. It benefits from being sited in an open position so you can enjoy sunlight coming through its leaves at the start or the end of the day.

For colour that vibrates in the sun you can't beat a combination of purple iris and the giant Euphorbia characias with its sulphur yellow flowers.  (I photographed these in our friend Ruth's garden earlier this week.)

Whilst on a bike ride locally, we passed another 'purple patch' of dark iris outside a distillery which produces our local spirit known as "Pineau".  It comes in white or red - the drink that is - and is rather on the sweet side but delicious when drunk as a chilled aperitif.

A Charentais alambic

Much as we love those ubiquitous French iris, it's a plant which really needs to have its own dedicated bed in full sun, preferably with poor soil, otherwise it calls for much labour-intensive weeding and regular division to ensure that the rhizomes flower well.  (In our experience, the richer and damper your soil, the more snails will come and visit!)

This advice refers to the classic "bearded" type of iris and not necessarily to other varieties which may flower earlier or later in the year.

Shrub of the Month

Viburnum opulus

I think this accolade must go to our old friend Viburnum opulus or 'Boule de neige' - the snowball tree - whose blooms are so perfectly white and spherical that one can overlook their lack of scent.  

The fresh shoots are, however, a magnet for blackfly and I was hoping our resident great tits would clean them off whilst collecting food for hatchlings.  But I so dislike the look of these black shoots, crawling with equally voracious ants, that I eventually reached for the secateurs and gave them a snip.

Aphids generally infest only part of a shrub - particularly roses - and I sometimes just rub them out with my fingers, but it does no great damage to cut off the offending tips and give them an early prune.

Eleagnus ebbingei

Back in October I nominated our newly-planted Eleagnus hedge as Shrub of the Month because it provided such wonderful scent late in the year.  I couldn't get a decent photo at the time but it has since provided us with a profusion of egg-shaped orange fruits, as well as clusters of young silvery leaves - which make for a very attractive hedge, ideal for our windy seaside location.

Whilst thinking of popular shrubs to recommend each month, I've also become aware that some people manage to live in blissful ignorance of which plants are to be considered 'weeds', to be be pulled up at the first opportunity... so here begins a new section for Weed of the Week.

Cleavers (Galium aparine) 

Called Goosegrass or 'Cleavers' because of its habit of sticking to everything, this is often found growing through hedges and poking out untidily at the top.  You can easily pull a piece off in passing but of course it will just carry on growing unless you can wrench out its horrible yellow root - and dispose of it carefully, not in your compost bin where it might just re-grow!

Pulmonaria officinalis

There's sometimes a fine line between weeds and wild flowers, a few of which might be worth having in your garden if you are looking for a more naturalistic planting.  Pulmonaria or 'lungwort' is definitely one of these and this is a photo taken on our woodland walk recently.  You can get more interesting cultivars like 'Sissinghurst', with white flowers, if you want it as a front-of-border plant.

Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum

Another member of the borage family which we found in the wild is the clunky-sounding Purple Gromwell, which has flourished in a shady woodland area along with a silver-striped deadnettle.  Its blue-pink flowers are not dissimilar to those of the Pulmonaria and it spreads itself slowly by means of creeping shoots, without becoming invasive.

Herb container

Sunnier days mean we can start picking fresh herbs again and chives are growing particularly well after being chopped down six weeks ago when they were looking very pallid.  Tarragon is also coming back to life and we keep cutting off large plumes of fennel which is romping away in a flower bed, threatening to take over an entire corner.

Lastly, a swallowtail is the latest butterfly to visit, attracted by the bright flowers of Knautia macedonia - a type of scabious.  

It's a great pleasure just to sit and observe the interaction between plants and wildlife at this busy time of year... as well as trying to photograph it of course!

The former potager re-designed for plants and herbs