We waited long enough, but spring has finally sprung, bringing with it a burst of colour into the gardens we look after.
The new season’s colours are a sight for sore eyes after a winter which looked like it would go on for ever. Buds are bursting and new leaves bring a verdant freshness to the landscape. I’m not the greatest fan of ballerina pink, but this year, even I have warmed to the frilly balls of blossom that currently brighten up every street.
As planting progresses, we look forward to each new growing season bringing different colours, shapes and leaf forms.
James’ top plant picks for May:
Tulipa viridiflora ‘Spring Green.’ With the large amount of work taking place in the garden over the past year, we hope this spring will be the only one we spend without tulips! I can reel out a long list of favourites, but this one is an absolute beauty. Ivory with a green stripe running up the petal, it’s billed as a cottage garden favourite, but I think its classic good looks work just as well to bring a burst of freshness into a contemporary setting.
Allium hollandicum ‘Purple Sensation’ – Although it will probably flower later this year, this is on my ‘must’ list for every garden. Gorgeous spheres of deep purple wave on sturdy stems or around 1 metre with blue grey foliage. Even its exit is graceful, as the bulb dies down it reveals seedheads which are worth leaving for their structural form alone.
Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Tom Thumb’ – a low growing mound forming evergreen shrub with has leathery small leaves which turn a deep purple in spring and summer. This versatile shrub has a height and spread of around one metre. This versatile, unfussy, shrub can be used in a variety of settings – coastal gardens, city gardens or as an attractive low growing hedge.
