In an English Country Garden - March 2025 Update

Close up of a Crown imperial (Fritillaria imperialis)

Well it would seem that the grip of Winter is finally loosening. Although the average temperature for the last month has been a rather chilly 5.8C (42.5f) it does not tell the full story. The day time temperature has been above 15C for at least 19 days, hitting 20C at least twice, it was having several days where the daily minimum was -6C which brought the average down with a bump.

Of more concern is that we have had only 12.8mm of rain, which is about 10% of what we should have had. If this trend continues then the Summer months could prove to be challenging.

Despite the cold snaps the garden is starting to awaken. We now have many plants in flower and bees, butterflies and other invertebrates are starting to appear and the numbers seem to increase daily.

Photograph: A Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) sat in a tree just outside our garden checking out the activity at one of our bird feeders

Work in the garden has mainly involved the last of the over winter tasks... I've been getting rid of of cuttings (either in the dead hedge or putting them through the chipper for mulch), removing more of the invasive plants and continuing to recycle the large pile of old timber (the remains of a fence that we had replaced and an old shed which we also replaced). Jude (AKA The Head Gardener) has been busy planting seeds and getting things ready to plant out, she has also planted cabbages and lettuces in the raised beds (under cloches).

The invasive plants that have caused us the most problems are a type of sedge (we inherited it). It's decorative enough and provides a bit of colour in winter but it seeds very regularly (always where it's not wanted), it's leaves are razor sharp and perhaps most importantly, it overwhelms the plants around it and NOTHING seems to live in it or off it. Removing it involves cutting off most of the leaves which reveals a solid mass in the middle, this then cut into sections (I've ended up using a reciprocating saw to do this as nothing else seems to touch it) then using a garden fork and copious swearing to leaver the sections out of the ground. I've gone through this process at least 10 times over the years and we've still got at least 4 left to do.

Once the waste timber area is cleared I will be using the space to build a proper composting area with three or four bays.

Photograph: This shows daffodils in the process of being overwhelmed by one of the sedges

As I mentioned earlier the plants in the garden are really responding to the warmer weather each day the bare patches are continuing to vanish beneath a blanket of verdant, vibrant greenery. The Guelder Rose and Wayfaring trees we planted in February seem to have taken and are producing leaves, we have a fabulous display of daffodils (they've also spread and are popping up in unexpected places) and the crocuses and snowdrops put on quite a show although they are all gone over now.

Irritatingly we didn't get as many crocus blooms as we should have as something (possibly rabbits or pigeons) nipped the tops off many of the plants that were in the ground before they had a chance to bloom... the ones in pots escaped largely unscathed.

All the deciduous trees and shrubs are now budding strongly and if the forecast of warm weather is accurate we should start to see Apple and Pear blossoms within the next day or so !

Picture; Some of the Crocuses that survived and a very busy bee

Some of the plants that have come into flower since the last update:

Top Row, Left to Right: Daffodil, Common Dog Violet (Viola riviniana), Daisy (Bellis Perennis), Blackthorne (Prunus spinosa)

Bottom Row, Left to Right: Grape Hyacinth (Muscari), Primrose (Primula vulgaris) this variety appeared much later, Crown Imperial Lilly (Fritillaria imperialis), Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna)

Well that's just about it for this update... Next month we should have a lot to report as the garden is ready to explode into life and this will be assisted by the warm dry spell that is forecast to last for at least a week and probably longer.

However there is stop press news to report... We have our first Tulip !! See you next month

Photograph: Our first tulip, flowered 30th March 2025