Blog: Blossom, the first tulips and a classic daffodil!
We’ve been basking in a sunny, warm spell, making what to grow in March for UK gardeners an easy choice – spring has certainly sprung! However, instead of ‘going out like a lamb’, this last week looks like tumbling back into winter – such is the fickleness of British March. Thanks to Vanessa Sundin for the lovely pictures.
This monthly blog post looks at which three plants have performed best in my garden. Just to make it more difficult for me, those plants must be easy enough for beginners to grow, freely available and reasonably priced. No pressure there then!
What to grow in March – Japanese blood plum Lizzie
Truly one of the most lovely plants I’ve ever encountered. Lizzie arrived many years ago in a bargain bundle of mystery fruit trees from Thompson & Morgan. While most were given away or failed, Lizzie never fails to delight. She’s a compact tree, covered with early white blossom (buds as early as late January some years).
And the fruit! Like a lot of plums, she can carry so much fruit she exhausts herself, so can give huge crops one year and hardly any the next. I’ve had to learn to cope with plum gluts (see my recipes). Also last year, there was so much fruit that one of the main branches snapped, so I raised the crown to restore her beauty.
The fruit is sweet, excessively juicy and can be eaten straight from the tree, cooked, or made into preserves. Lizzie is easy to find online or at good fruit tree nurseries.
Tulip Magic Lavender
Full disclosure here – Magic Lavender is not my favourite tulip. It wouldn’t crack the top 10 if this was next month’s choices. However, it is the first to flower out of the 10 new varieties I added in pots in November/December last year. That’s what makes it special.
They came in a pack of 10 mixed with pale pink Mango Charm from Dobies for just £3 in the sale (was £9.29 – if buying at full price, buy in bulk, works out much cheaper). I always buy tulips in sales – you can plant them as late as December without worries and you avoid the tulip fire virus.
Its colour is deepening as it ages, which pleases me. The only problem is that they are way ahead of Mango Charm, so I won’t get the ‘designer mix’ effect.
What to grow in March – Daffodil King Alfred
The classic and ubiquitous standard yellow daffodil – but don’t turn your nose up at it. Common doesn’t mean bad when it comes to plants. It generally means reliable in extreme weather, easy to grow and attractive to a wide range of tastes.
This makes King Alfred the ideal first bulb for the beginner. Plant it in September, then forget all about it until you see its shoots popping through in winter, reminding you that spring’s not far away. The tall, large yellow blooms are surprisingly resistant to wind.
I was given these daffodils free with an order of other bulbs, so you can’t get cheaper than that! At the moment, they’re housed in two large containers. When they’ve finished flowering, I’m going to plant them ‘in the green’ (like snowdrops) in one of my beds. Daffodils don’t mind my heavy, cold clay soil, unlike tulips, which I always grow in pots.
I hope that’s given you some ideas about easy plants that shine in March. April’s going to require me to be much tougher!
