The blooms of March are mostly from bulbs.
Above: Iris reticulata ‘Harmony’
The earliest bloomers are the ones sought out, like the Crocus chrysanthus group, represented above by C. ‘Snow Bunting’.
It is bulbs that add color to the four quadrants and center of the Knot Garden. Crocus chrysanthus are the first flowers open, often in January or even late December. They line the quads and Snow Bunting was planted in the blue fescue rectangle under the armillary last fall. The little rock garden iris flower next, edging the front of the quads. Next month will see the white viridiflora tulips open, always a showstopper. Summer sees various tall lilies towering over the onion topped rebar stakes. Assorted ground hugging thymes add foliage, scent and fun all through the year.
Later comes Crocus vernalis ‘Pickwick’, this patch planted in the raised planter down by the garage with Yucca filamentosa ‘Colorguard’.
Violas are planted in the fall here, to winter over and be more vigorous in spring. Reinforcements are usually added as they become available for purchase in late winter. There are pink and white grape hyacinths also planted in this rusted out wheelbarrow turned container. The pinks, Muscari ‘Pink Sunrise’, planted last fall in the back of the barrow have been blooming for several weeks. The white ones, planted two years ago are just now poking their heads above the soil. So much for the pink and white explosion.
Zooming out, this is the view from the driveway at the front of the house, shown earlier this month here. This gravel path is the entrance that takes visitors and residents to the steeper slopes of the back gardens. To the left is the Fairelurie at the bottom and the Lawn/Meadow backed by the privacy hedge of arborvitae. The bed behind the wheelbarrow is the Garage Side, with blue star junipers in heavy use. The sweet Daphne odorata lives in there, now blooming in scented pink.
Following the gravel path brings us to the Azalea Walk, a long stretch of deciduous azaleas with the witch hazel, Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’ included to break up the monotony. Diane is having her best blooming ever this year.
More bulbs are beginning to bloom along the pathways here, including hyacinths of various hues. Hyacinthus ‘Yellow Queen’ looks good with the blue violas in the Yellow/White bed with lemon thyme edging.
Looking from west to east, one might notice that the main crop of flowers are daffodils. The white blobs on the woody shrub just left of center are the flowers of Edgeworthia chrysantha. Most photos of those blooms are taken from below. From straight on, they look like pale fuzzy tubular clusters of bells.
Looking at the same path of the Azalea Walk, this time from east to west.
Again, it is all about the daffodils, Narcissus pseudonarcissus, written about here. It is indeed the signature plant of late winter in the Fairegarden.
Behind the main house is the steepest part of the property. It is here that Helleborus orientalis has colonized the hillside and beyond, with babies now popping up even down into the wall.
Standing in the covered vestibule right outside the back door of the main house, this is the view. It is a slope covered in plants. Although it is constantly changing as the plants grow larger, seed about or die out and tweaking never stops, it never, ever fails to bring me the greatest of joys.
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For more joyous looks at March flowers, go visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens. It was her idea, inspired by Elizabeth Lawrence who said there could be flowers every month of the year, that produced that most wonderful sharing event on the fifteenth of each month called Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day. Thank you, Carol.
Frances
Fairegarden 