A View From Rural Wales

Been strolling around the garden this morning. Spring is bursting into life. Mrs Canada is fussing around what is going to be her nest site. I reckon she's laid one egg already. She will lay her eggs over a few days, and will not begin sitting seriously until she's laid them all. We had been unsure of her plans this year, because we had that royal visit from a pair of swans, who seemed to on the hunt for a breeding site. There is only one really good (plus one not so good) fox free site on our pool. Anyway, after about ten days the swans decided our pool did not meet their specifications and left. What's fascinating is that Mrs Coot is sitting no more than three feet from Mrs Canada's site. What's odd is that the male Canada will not allow another Canada within honking distance once the female is sitting, while the coot is sitting there, cool as a cucumber, right under her beak. But back to the plants. I was looking for a bit of colour, and first up is this lovely Hellebore. They are easy to grow, and there superb new varieties coming along every year.

The second plant that caught my eye was this corylopsis - so colourful and so early. This shrub is about 8 feet high. There are various types of Corylopsis and they are not expensive or difficult to grow. Such early colour makes them a must.

And today's final choice is a fairly old, and rather unexciting Pieris - but I like it. We grow lots of different types of Pieris, but the best remains Pieris forrestii, which will feature in a future post when its bright red bracts are out (frosts permitting). Pieris bracts follow the flowers, and in some species are much more spectacular.