Jo's News and Views No 4 April 2022
Hello Everyone
Well, Spring has definitely arrived in the garden. There is blossom everywhere and new leaves appearing on all the trees. It's certainly a wonderful time of year. In the Arboretum the Fraxinus angustifolia 'Raywood', the Ash 'Raywood', looks beautiful in its Spring outfit of bright green and the lilac everywhere in the garden has opened in the last week or so, photo 1. In the Honesty Bed outside the courtyard this lovely Mimosa has been flowering throughout April, photo 2. On the Front Lawn the Acer palmatum 'Atropurpureum', the Purple Japanese Maple, was slow to get started, photo 3 taken on 14th April but soon opened its striking purple leaves, photo 4 taken on 26th April. Nearby the Prunus 'Amanogawa' was not going to be out done, photo 5. In February our lecture was about the red fleshed apples brought to this country from Kazakhstan and Mr Bowles planted two trees he cultivated in the garden. One in the Kitchen Garden and this one on the Front Lawn, photo 6. The blossom is exquisite, photo 7. The pathway from the house into the garden is lined with euphorbias, photo 8, creating quite a stunning entrance. The colour in the border in Tom Tiddlers Ground provides a stunning backdrop to the honesty plants appearing there, photo 9. Further on near the Wisteria Bridge the Paeonia suffruticosa 'Shugyoko Den' has been flowering for weeks and has delighted everyone who has visited the garden, photo 10. The Ostriches guarding the bridge have had their own display this Spring and look very pleased with it, photo 11. Along the New River Lawn is a tree that always looks stunning in Spring, photo 12, taken on 11th April shows the leaves just opening and on 30th April the Acer pseudoplatanus 'Brilliantissimum' was really living up to its name, photo 13. The Glasshouses looked lovely and this delightful plant caught my eye, photo 14. It is Ledebouria socialis 'Violacea' and has the most delicate little flowers, photo 15. Moving on to the Kitchen Garden I was pleased to see the blossom on the pear trees. The arch was built in March 2013, photo 16 and had runner beans grown over it that year, photo 17. The first conference pear trees were planted in December 2014 and after further donations the planting was completed in March 2015, photo 18. My patience has paid off as I'm pleased to say they have finally met in the middle, photo 19. Along the path is the Prunus laurocerasus 'Camelliifolia', photo 20. the blossom is lovely, photo 21 but unfortunately the fruits that follow are deadly as they contain cyanide. By the Pond is this elegant Magnolia 'Susan', photo 22 and in the Rose Garden another favourite is coming back to life. The Tetrapanax papyrifer, the Rice Paper plant, photo 23. Finally, my fauna selection this month. The blossom on the Malus 'Bowles Hybrid' provided an amazing amount of pollen for this Honey bee, photo 24. This Peacock butterfly was sunning itself in the warm sunshine, photo 25. Unfortunately the new shoots on the trees in the garden had attracted this Ring-necked parakeet and his friends, photo 26. Now a favourite bird of mine, the Red Kite. I see them flying over the garden at Myddelton but they are usually too high for me to focus on so I'm including these photos taken locally in Cuffley, photos 27 and 28. Hope you have enjoyed this wander around the garden with me. Best wishes Jo
