Blooming Evington! April
Here we feature some of the flowering plants we’ve spotted around the Evington area this month. We expect you’ve seen them too but, if not, keep a look out when you’re on your walks! In case you see anything you’d like to grow, we’ve included a few ideas and links to help you.
If you have images of and information on your favourite blooms at any time, please email them to us and we’ll include them in the appropriate monthly section.
Lesser Celandine
These pretty, delicate-looking flowers can be found in some grass verges around Evington, if the mowers haven’t taken their heads off yet. We spotted some down by the spinney, down the alley off Newhaven Road and on the wildflower embankment on the Main St side of the village green. If you want to grow them, you can get the bulbs in the autumn but beware: they are very invasive which means they will soon spread and might become a nuisance if you don’t thin them out. Just in case you’re interested: there is a Greater Celandine but, apart from its yellow colour, it is a completely different plant, related to the poppy.
Growing guide: https://www.naturescape.co.uk/product/lesser-celandine/
Honesty (lunaria)
A little group of these have appeared in our native hedgerow. They will have grown from seeds from a plant we unknowingly brought over from our previous house in a pot containing other plants. The flowers will stay out for quite a few months before forming very pretty seed pods that are shaped like thin discs. If you’re sowing honesty seeds for the first time, you’ll have to be patient as they won’t flower until next year but, from then on they should reseed every year so you get a continuous production year-on-year.
Growing guide: https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-honesty/
Woodland bulbs
We’re really pleased with our developing native-woodland bulbs area. The season began with snowdrops, quickly followed by the aconites. This picture shows the very graceful fritillaria, woodland anemones and native daffodils. These bulbs no trouble and just require to be left alone – especially once the flowers have died back when the leaves need to gather the Sun’s energy so the bulb has more energy for an even-better display next spring. As they are woodland bulbs, they will also grow well in shaded areas – like our front lawn!
Growing guide: https://woodland-bulbs.co.uk/how-to-grow/
Forsythia
Forsythia gives a stunning yellow colour to your shrub area or hedgerow. We spotted this one as part of a front garden border hedge. It provides a stunning yellow wall of flowers in early spring. We had a forsythia that never flowered very well until we discovered that we were cutting it back at the wrong time. This was because, after flowering, our forsythia would put out new shoots very rapidly and these quickly reached a good length – outgrowing the rest of our hedge. The answer is to cut back the shrub just after it finishes flowering so the new growth isn’t a nuisance. The new growth will then provide loads more flowers in the following spring – glorious! If you want your own forsythia, ask someone kind to root the end of a growing tip in a pot of soil (layering) and it will be ready for you by the end of summer. If not, buy one and plant it out in September.
Growing guide: https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/forsythia-x-intermedia-weekend/
Red Campion
Red campion is a wildflower which we spotted walking over the permissive paths around fields on the edge of Evington. In our mini-meadow in our front garden we’ve sowed red campion seeds that a friend bought for us. There’s no sign of any seedlings as yet but we’re always hopeful!
Growing guide: http://www.wildflowersuk.com/details.asp?ID=193
Wild tulip
This tulip is unusual in that it’s only one to be found growing naturally in the wild in the UK. It’s tempting to think of it as a native plant but probably developed from imported garden tulips. It’s very well suited to growing in grassy areas so we’ve introduced it to our woodland shrubs and bulbs lawn. We just discovered its reputation for a lovely, lemony scent so will give it a sniff tomorrow!
Growing guide:
https://www.shiptonbulbs.co.uk/product/wild-tulip-tulipa-sylvestris/