Finally Spring Arrives

In the last couple of days we have at last seen the first of our unforced Daffodils flowering, along with the first camellias (usually they would have been doing their thing for some time now but due to the weather we have had to wait a little longer) The Rhododendrons that had started to flower in late November have been in suspended animation for three months and are still only in their first flush.

The bad news is that we have definitely lost our Bush Echiums which is a shame, they had survived for many years, fortunately they are very fast growers so we should be able to replace them very quickly. The other sad news is that my Purple Aeonium that I managed to take care of, over winter outside last year in a pot, is looking very dodgy. Thankfully this is not a problem as I have dozens more to replace it, I just hoped it would survive.

Apart from these, very little in the garden has been lost of consequence, but I have had a few casualties in my nursery area where I have been growing a selection of plants to transfer into the garden when ready. One collection of plants in this area awaiting a final home is the Olearias of which we have over 20 different species. Some of these I have been keeping in a tunnel (others were outside) it was a good job that I duplicated the stock and thankfully have not lost any types! Whilst the weather has been cold, but dry, we have been able to prepare the bed to plant this collection, with generous amounts of seaweed and farm yard manure. It is quite exposed to the sea, so windy and probably quite salt laden, but it should make most of them feel at home.

Don't forget to pop in if you're on the Isle of Mull. The gardens are open all year round and we love to have visitors.

Till next time, happy gardening!

Duncan