Spring song

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With the official start of spring on 21 March, the garden season gets into full swing. Spring is in the air as flowers burst forth showcasing the diversity of the season.
Early flowering bulbs, such as crocus and daffodils, carpet the ground along with the delicate lemon tones of primroses and the nodding heads of hellebores. Colour, scent and the sound of the first bumblebees buzzing around the flowers delight the senses.
Garden owners again open their gates to visitors, ready to share their passion for gardening. One such garden is Honnington Farm near Tunbridge Wells, opening for the second time this spring through the National Gardens Scheme.

Combine blossom trees with a carpet of Spring flowers

Ann Tyler has developed the six-acre garden over several years, from what were just fields, into a relaxed, informal garden with lovely country vistas. For the past couple of years she has been ably assisted by gardener Sian Burgess.
“I was a rural child and come from an artistic family, my father was an architect, so I have always loved to create and grow things”, comments Ann. “My husband and I started from the front door of our farmhouse and over time the garden grew, like Topsy,” she adds.
Existing Leylandii trees were left to shield the buildings but the rough paddocks have become flower borders, bulb walks and bog and pond gardens, all connected by informal lawns. Signature plants in spring include masses of primroses that Ann has lovingly planted and a wide variety of hellebores spread throughout the garden. An avenue of chestnuts underplanted with daffodils also draws the eye.
Encouraging wildlife has also been a priority. “I have been interested in wildlife and conservation since I was a child,” explains Ann. “We have planted 50 acres of woodland with lots of native trees, created hedgerows and dug ponds, doing as much as we can.
“There are lots of small mammals and the bird life has increased, including woodpeckers, nuthatches, a visiting kingfisher and a resident heron. We also leave sticks and leaves and put beettlebanks in the woods which are useful for the birds in the winter.”
Recent projects include another bog garden with a Chinese bridge, a wildflower meadow planted with annuals such as poppies, a dry garden, and a natural swimming pool.

How to create a spring walk

• Carpets of flowers flanking a path under a canopy of trees, framing a vista, create a walk of delight
• If you don’t have room for an avenue of tall trees, select smaller varieties or even a single tree with a carpet of small bulbs at the far end of the garden will give the effect
• Use an area of grass at the end of the garden or leading to a view, where you can leave it unmown until late July
• Plant an avenue of deciduous trees. Consider the finished shape – formal or curving informal pathway
• For continuity the same variety may work in your setting or you could use a mix of trees
• Blossom trees combined with a carpet a spring flowers works beautifully
• Plant with enough space to allow mature size
• Plant late autumn
• Use mainly bulbs, augmented with annuals and perennials
• Plant bulbs at the same time in natural drifts
• Mark out one or more winding paths to leave unplanted
• Only mow the paths
• Place a focal point at the end of the pathway or part way along
• Aim to create a sense of naturalness to the finished result

Trees to use

· Acer – maple

· Betula – birch

· Magnolia

· Malus – crab apples

· Prunus – cherry

· Pyrus – pear

Spring flowers

• Anemone blanda
• Chionodoxa – glory-of-the-snow
• Crocus
• Eranthis – winter aconite
• Fritillaria
• Galanthus – snowdrop
• Hellebore
• Leucojum - snowflake
• Muscari – grape hyacinth
• Narcissus – daffodil
• Primula – primrose
• Saxifraga
• Scilla - squill
• Tulips – early varieties

Words and pictures by Leigh Clapp