Too big for its boots

This wonderful bush of Cornus mas, here photographed at the start of Week 12 in 2012, proved too big for its boots. The plant grows into a little tree, but with space so tight in this screen it was outgrowing its assigned role and had to be culled.

Budding Week

At the end of Week 2011/12, I go out with the camera and capture some fine close-up shots of what I cannot actually see with the naked eye: the new blossoms. This has been a picture-book spring, with nothing bursting through the gate in December because of five weeks of snow cover, but a mild first quarter nudging bloom times up to the earliest possible point. That means a great display of Jasminum nudifolium with big fat blossoms on its green strands: Chimonanthus praecox is also doing its display nice and early this year. It tends to be pale, and in a forest of bare twigs you may not see it at first, but the display is worth searching for:

Then there is the fine display this year on Cornus mas. We were impressed at big groves of this in the royal gardens at Potsdam, and our example seems to be coming up well. It flowers on the more mature wood: the newest tips do not have any blossoms:

And finally there are the buds of Ribes. Even before it comes into blossom, this fine little bush usually pinkens up over a period lasting about two weeks with these incredibly coloured shoots:

Budding Week

The gardens are changing fast in 2010/12 with daffodil green 15 centimetres out of the ground and tulips coming up almost as high, but neither is yet in bloom. The first flowers are on the Lonicera, the Jasminum nudifolium has resumed its display that broke off before Christmas and buds are evident on many shrubs. The crocus flowers (the field of the at right (photo taken March 18) shows of an area where we grew pumpkins last year) suddenly disappear when heavy rain knocks off the petals late in the week.