March winds....

...and April showers bring forth May flowers.

Of course May seems so far away when the chilly winds of March are blowing off hats and turning umbrellas inside out. 

March is known as daffodil month, but despite being my favourite flower I don't have all that many.  When I was small, my gran had a garden filled with naturalised daffodils that filled the whole area with sunshine on even the most drab days.  

It's about time I did something about increasing my own daffodils.  Of course autumn is the time to plant spring flowering bulbs, but if you're canny at this time of year you can cheat.  As the bulbs are going over the stores are discounting them.   For the price of one pot of daffodils, I managed to get 5 pots, each containing around 5 bulbs.

Other than a bowl of n. Minnow, All of these daffodils are the standard height.  I generally prefer the dwarf narcissus, but to get the pool effects I'm after, I shall need some of the taller varieties at the back of the border.  They are also paler colours with contrasting trumpets.

Above N. Rip van Winkle in the long border. 

This little pot crammed with spring colour and scent was hiding out behind the wall of the terrace.  Now it's in full fettle, I have brought it up onto the terrace to shine.

It's too windy to appreciate the scents on the terrace at the moment, but the hyacinths are opening...

...along with the clematis Armandii (which now it's flowered I realise lacks the baby pink hue of "apple blossom". Nevertheless it still smells of almonds.



The primulae are flowering their hearts out all around the garden.  We have blues in Bumblebee's pot

Lemon in the long border, 

White, pink and cream in the Pink Garden.   There are also a good few apricot shades in the front garden.   Once flowered, many of them will be divided this year.

In the Pink Garden the hellebores are still going strong and the Bergenia is also in bloom.

Today is glorious sunshine, but that wind is sharp.  Having just spent 5 or 10 minutes outside with my camera, my ears are so cold they feel brittle. 

Mother's Day weekend approaches and with it some dryer, milder conditions.  Time for another Ramble methinks!