Spring = Happiness

What a relief to know Spring is here.

The magnolia tree in the front garden is full of swollen buds ready to burst open in the next few days if the sun keeps shining. Miniature daffodils are popping up in the flower beds, a thank you from the squirrels! My springtime favourite – hyacinths – fill the house with their beautiful smell. Purple and yellow crocuses, scattered over green spaces around Esher and Thames Ditton, bring a welcome burst of colour after the winter drabness.

Over the past five months our garden has been transformed from an overgrown mess to an almost barren area of green grass and brown earth beds and I’ve longed for the spring to arrive so I can start planting.

I love fragrant flowers and intend to fill the garden with lavender, roses, peonies & hydraengers. I want the roses to climb up the walls and trees and over fences and the shed.

I always buy David Austen roses (www.davidaustenroses.co.uk) because they just seem to grow better than others, have less diseases and are so so beautiful. My favourites are fragrant varieties such as The Generous Gardener, Spirit of Freedom and Claire Austen with it’s strong fragrance of myrrh, meadowsweet, heliotrope and vanilla. For climbing varieties I love A Shropshire Lad and James Galway. Last year I bought Queen of Sweden from Hampton Court Flower Show for the front garden. It has the most beautiful pale pink flowers with a light fragrance, they last really well when cut as an arrangement in the house too.

Queen of Sweden

I haven’t bought peonies before so after a bit of research I’ll order them from Kelways in Cornwall. (www.kelways.co.uk). They have an incredible variety and I have managed to narrow my choice down to Alice Harding, a white heavily ruffled merangue-like flower. I also love Dr Alexander Fleming, Dinner Plate, Helen Hayes and Lady Alexandre Duff.

Alice Harding

Hydraengers are a new favourite since seeing the most incredible displays at Hampton Court Flower Show last summer. I bought a large white one and nearly broke my back lugging it home. Hydraenger arborescens ‘Annabelle’ is my hydraenger of choice. These look gorgeous cut in the house and last really well.

Garsons Farm in Esher stock a good variety of lavender so I won’t have to travel far for that. Angustifolia Hidcote and Intermedia Grosso are lovely. I have the added bonus of a discount as my eldest son is currently working there on Saturdays. Lucky me!

Lavender Hidcote

#peonies #Esher #roses #lavender #hydraengers #garsonsfarm