Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2015 | Page 87
GARDENING
IN THE
GARDEN
With Tina Hyde
Getting
the
Spring
Blues
W
hen I think of spring bulbs
visions of tulips and daffodils
pop into my head in all their
vibrant glory chasing away the gloomy
days of winter. Lovely as they are, yellow,
orange and red are not the only colours
to herald the spring although they do
tend to dominate my consciousness and
I have been reminding myself how many
shades of blue can also be found in the
spring garden.
Other than hyacinths and the later
flowering camassia, many of these bulbs
tend to be small and more suited to being
naturalised around the garden than used
in containers. Anemone blanda once
established will spread and form dainty
drifts under spring flowering shrubs or
trees; planted in a lawn it looks lovely
especially under a flowering cherry, plant
them in areas that can be left uncut
until they’ve died back for the summer.
Muscari, the grape hyacinths are tough
and easy going and once established can
be inclined to take over anywhere they
are allowed to set seed. They’re ideal for
awkward areas such as along the bottom
of a hedge or wall where their enthusiasm
can be restrained.
Our native bluebells are a truly
spectacular sight in their natural habitat
in ancient deciduous woodlands and in
the right garden they are lovely. However
I find that in most gardens they either
form lonely clumps which tend to be
rather lost and disappointing, or if the
conditions suit them they can take over
and then you’re forever sticking a fork or
spade into the bulbs.
Unfortunately many of the bluebells
that are sold commercially tend to be the
much sturdier and less graceful Spanish
variety which I try to avoid as they
hybridise with the native species. Instead
I tend to choose to grow Camassia, also
known as Quamash which are part of
the same family, the reason for this is
that they’re much taller so they show up
better in beds and borders.
They originate from North America
where they grow in damp fertile
meadows; they’re generally hardy
although like any other bulb they will rot
if waterlogged. They’re much larger than
bluebells and will make a good sized well
behaved clump if they’re happy. They
look particularly effective when planted
with ornamental grasses in prairie style
borders but make a good substantial
display in a mixed border. An added
bonus is that they also make a good cut
flower, unlike our native bluebells which
do not last well if cut.
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