When the sun beings to shine and the days become longer we become impatient for signs of Spring colour. The wildflower meadow is still resting but that doesn’t mean you can’t introduce early colour here with a bit of foresight and planning.
Snowdrops were the obvious choice that we looked at last week, with their early flowers in February. So what else could we plant that would bloom before May when the Buttercups come out in April/May?
Crocuses and Winter Aconite’s, produce a range of bright colours in March/April while the meadow is short and their flowers can be seen. PLant the bulbs in autumn in groups within the meadow for a Spring show. Or why not also try planting plugs of Anemones,
Sweet Violets, Early Dog Violets and Common Dog Violets. These delicate plants are best located near the edges of your meadow near trees and hedges so they can enjoy the partial shade they thrive in.
Of course if you fancy grand drifts of spring colour, you can under-plant bulbs during the autumn with Daffodils and Narcissus thereby echoing William Wordsworth’s poem, Daffodils