WHAT'S LOOKING GOOD IN APRIL 2018

It's at this time of the year that our "low maintenance" garden starts to come into its own.

Our two acer palmatums are almost fully out. They look a bit "tousled," at the moment but will settle down. I'll wait for some rain to decide if any new branches are untrainable.



This one will probably need more attention to revert to a "dome shape." I chopped a couple of feet off the skirt two years ago as it was touching the ground, to improve the sight line of the garden from the French windows.



The wisterias will soon be out, we'll have hundreds of blooms on the five established ones, (the petals from which will mostly end up in the koi pool).






This sorbus which took me two years to straighten, this is its first year without a restraining cable.has a lot of blooms coming. We had hardly any last year.






This camellia was once in the middle of the garden with two others. But we got rid of two because they were all getting too big all over seven feet tall. I saved this one because it has nice variegate leaves and nice blooms. I chopped it down to a couple of feet and re-planted it here. We don't get many flowers as I keep it pruned back.
Our first rhodo is in flower.



First flowers on our several new clematis.



The first of the two rhodos we have in the front garden will bloom before the azaleas.



The acer tree has its usual flowers on it already, they don't get noticed much as they are green.

 

Acer envy here DHR

Perhaps not looking so great in April but smelling great right now are my zaluzianskya plants. One potted in conservatory provided wonderful scent first thing this morning.
The "night scented phlox" will start producing perfume from mid evening through to daybreak. Put a couple near front or side door, on pathways, or by seats or in the garden for a wonderful delight for the olfactory senses

 

I like your style WO...I do, I do, I do

 

At last a few bits and pieces looking nice...not before time I'm really pleased with my Tulips. This is their 6th year. I really must dig them up and change them for next year. The species Rhododendrons are almost a month late to flower but they don't seem to mind

 

Love that peach coloured tulip @silu. Will catch up with you soon. xx

 

@longk sent me seed a couple of years ago,


I'm pretty sure this is Echium wildpretii, not sure it is as rain and cold tolerant as E.pininana, so it got a pot to grow in, still a nice plant though, and lots more flowers to come.

 

Vestia foetida. You're a week or two ahead of me.

Lovely! Is that another one behind it in the greenhouse?

 

Yes another of the same but in a smaller pot, so smaller plant.
Got three others coming on for flowering possibly next year, but should have lots of seed later in the year.

 

We bought a new wisteria Sinensis Alba from a garden centre the Sunday before last, one of many that looked a bit dead. I was concerned enough to mention at the checkout, that I'd want my money back if it didn't "do anything." There were several against a wire fence and obscured by a rack of other plants, so they were exposed to the wind and weren't getting much sun.

Anyway, sited against our garage wall were it is protected from the wind and gets a lot of sun, it's doing its best, so I'm quite pleased about it. I'll be training more when it gets a bit bigger.






The blossom on the Conference pear is rapidly dying off now, most of it's on the lawn and it's the turn of the Morello cherry. The bees have to be quick to get them pollinated, don't they?

 

My wife's birthday was 1st March and the balloon s still flying. I think that must be a record.



G.

 

Happy belated birthday Mrs. Jack Sparrow