‘Spring is in the air’…there seem to be many different versions of this song (not to be confused with John Paul Youngs 1978 hit ‘Love is in the air’) but Grandad was rather taken by a version by the American singer songwriter J D Roth recorded about 6 or 7 seven years ago…
‘spring is in the air
flowers grow
peeking through the snow….’
And yes the flowers are on their way. Snowdrops are well established now – they look really good along with the buttercup yellow of winter aconites. Daffodils and crocuses are coming into flower and tulips are starting to show through for flowering at the end of the month.
The botanical name for snowdrops is Galanthus. They are not just lovely plants but extracts, known as alkaloids, from the bulbs of the caucasian and other snowdrops and from daffodils (narcissi). These extracts form a licensed drug called Galantamine which is used to treat mild and moderate Alzheimer’s Disease and to alleviate the symptoms of memory loss.
All these plants Grandad has mentioned are bulbs and whilst often thought of as spring flowers -bulbs can sustain your garden throughout the summer. Of all the many bulbs from Agapanthus to Ranunculus here are some of Grandad’s favourites;
Alliums are ornamental members of the onion family grown for their large flowerheads held high on stems. They have green glossy leaves which begin to wither before the bold flower spikes mature. The silvery lilac coloured flowers of Allium Christophii is a favourite.They are late spring/early summer flowers.
Lillies are a group of hardy bulbs and their exquisite blooms can hold centre stage in any mixed border. The flowers are also excellent for cutting and many are fragrant. With some similarities Grandad goes for Hemerocallis commonly called Day Lillies,albeit they are not bulbs. As per their name each flower only lasts for one day only but these easy to grow perennials will produce, once established, a profusion of blooms day after day. Colours can range from yellow and orange through to pinks and salmon.
Back to the bulbs and for autumn colour plant Nerine Bowdenii, a South Afican native, and also known as the Guernsey Lily or the Spider Lily. The flowers are pink and in a trumpet shape but they may not always be full hardy and like the tops of their bulbs to be just above soil level.
Come March those with real grass lawns will be hard at work putting right the winter effects…aerating, de-mossing, weeding and feeding not to mention months of cutting. Back in 1929 The Czech author Karel Capek (who along with his brother Joseph is credited with introducing
and popularising the word ‘robot’) wrote a book called ‘The Gardeners Year’. On the question of
lawns he wrote “The soil must be well and deeply dug ,…it must be well levelled so that it’s like a
table; after that you sow the seed and roll the ground well; then you water it daily, and when the grass has grown you mow it week by week, you collect the cut grass … roll the lawn; you must water, sprinkle wet and spray it daily and if you do this for 300 years you will have as good a lawn as mine.’ In 2013 you could of course, simply opt for an artificial lawn with a Trulawn.
