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Splash of colour

There is an air of excitement in the gardens. The perennials are emerging from their winter slumber with great speed.  Although the snowdrops and winter aconites are fading now, there are plenty of woodland plants adding a splash of colour to the borders.

Under the copper beech on the Broadwalk, in amongst the hellebores and primroses, there is a carpet of cardamine, Cardamine quinquefolia.  The finely cut leaves of this ladies smock, emerge during winter, followed in spring by pretty lilac flowers.  The leaves die right back in early summer.  There are also clumps of Viola odorata ‘Rosea Group’ with delicate rose-pink flowers.

Pulmonarias, which belong to the Borage family, can be found dotted around the Broadwalk and Double Walled Garden.  Their common name is lungwort, so called because the white spots on the leaves of Pulmonaria officinalis were thought to resemble diseased lungs and were used in the treatment of chest ailments.   They are native to Europe and Western Asia.  The leaves are very hairy and form rosettes.

One stunning example is Pulmonaria ‘Blue Ensign’ located at the top of the Broadwalk.  It has amazing bright blue flowers. Some have silvery leaves, such as P.  ‘Cotton Cool’.  The white flowered form Pulmonaria ‘Sissinghurst White’  has heavily spotted leaves.  There is also the brick-red  flowers of P. rubra.  Pulmonaria angustifolia has unspotted mid-green leaves and deep blue flowers, often tinged with pink.  Another well-known example is P. ‘Margery Fish’  with silver spotted leaves, bright pink flowers turning blue.

Take a closer look at the spectacular spring display and see if you can find the weird  green, double-flowered Derwydd  daffodil located near the Ice House.

 

Daryll Little