At the end of November Rachael Castle was shining a light on bulbs. This was not a talk for electricians – for them, there would be no double entendre. For them bulbs can only be plants, not sources of illumination, for electricians they are lamps.
We were taken through the year of bulbs in the garden, starting with aconites, with bright yellow flowers looking like choirboys with their ruff of petals. These were followed by snowdrops. For galanthophiles (see last January) we were shown a favourite, Diggory, with puckered petals looking like seersucker. Snowflakes followed.
The Spring Snowflake (Leucojum vernum) has delicate bonnets. (Not the taller Summer Snowflake L. aestivum which is much more of a thug).
Wood anemones (A. nemorosa), not really bulbs, but grow from spreading underground roots, called rhizomes. Like many spring flowering bulbs/rhizomes, they are found in deciduous woodland before the trees are in full leaf, disappearing during the summer.
This is a bonus for gardeners as they leave space for other plants to take over the display. In the wild, Wood anemones spread slowly and they are used as an indicator of ancient woodland.
These were followed by Irises. Not the bearded irises, but the small I. reticulata and I. histrioides, which look smashing in a pot. They often disappear in the garden, possibly (like crocuses) they are enjoyed by mice. You can enjoy these flowers too. To view, not eat. Many of them (and of course daffodils and tulips) will be on display at the Ash Spring Show on Sat. 20th April.
