Despite the appalling wetness of the weather this winter – and my garden is in the epicentre of flooding with the rivers Wye, Severn, Lugg and Teme all bursting their banks around us – it has been very mild.
An average rise in temperature of a degree or two has a huge influence on our gardens.
My crocuses, for example, have never been better – even though it can seem like weeks between the odd glimpse of sunshine. Crocuses need sunshine and respond to it by opening their petals wide in invitation.
This both advertises and makes them available to pollinators – especially bees and queen bumblebees – but at this time of year there are precious few of those about.
British gardening expert Monty Don shared his advice for a dramatic display of crocuses. Pictured: Monty with a selection of his crocuses
So when the sun does shine, crocuses need to make the most of it and draw them in.
There are more than 90 species of crocuses, but you can have a superb display with just a few of these. Crocus tommasinianus is usually the first to appear in my garden.
The species is a fairly delicate silvery purple, lending it a fragile air, whereas in reality it is very tough; there are bulbs that reappear every year that I first planted a quarter of a century ago.
I also have the cultivars ‘Barr’s Purple’ and ‘Ruby Giant’, both of which have much stronger purple petals and larger flowers than the species.
Natives of woodland, they spread quickly by seed and division of their corms throughout a border.
If you want to divide clumps of crocuses to increase your own display – whether in containers or in the ground – wait until they’ve finished flowering and the leaves have turned brown and started to die back.
Dig up the corms and divide them, then replant immediately 8-10cm deep in a sunny or partly shady spot, or in a container with plenty of grit added for drainage.
For the most dramatic display, group them in clusters rather than planting singly or in rows.
However, if you are starting from scratch you can order bulbs this summer to plant in autumn. Planting crocuses into long grass is time-consuming as the corms are small and you need a lot to make an impact; think in the thousands.
However, they are cheap and if the ground is fairly soft they can be buried using a trowel.
Crocus vernus has large, dramatic, goblet-shaped flowers. As it flowers slightly later than C. tommasinianus it gives a perfect extension to the crocus season.
Like all crocuses it needs maximum sunshine for maximum effect, but once established it will spread almost indefinitely.
Although there are named cultivars like the white ‘Jeanne d’Arc’ or the rich violet ‘Purpureus Grandiflorus’, they are often sold as a mixed collection which will tend to be either purple, striped or white. C. biflorus is delicate but surprisingly hardy and another good option for growing around the edges of a lawn or under trees.
‘Blue Pearl’ is also excellent.
Crocus chrysanthus has a large, fragrant flower that opens to a bowl shape.
The species has deep yellow flowers, but there are numerous hybrids in a wide range of colours. It grows very well in gravel or a rock garden.
I like to grow crocuses in pots too, cramming the corms in as tight as possible so they make an intense show.
The advantage of pots is they can be protected from extreme weather such as the rain we’ve all had, and then placed to display their charms to best advantage.
When they’ve finished flowering, put the pot in a sunny corner until the foliage has died back and they’ll need no attention until autumn, when some moisture will be required. It’s a good idea to repot them every two or three years.
MONTY’S PLANT OF THE WEEK
COMMON LUNGWORT (Pulmonaria officinalis)
Monty chose Common Lungwort (pictured) as this week’s plant, advising to grow it in dampish shade for best results
One of the first spring herbaceous perennials to appear and flower, this likes dampish shade best – a sign of things being too dry for it is the presence of powdery mildew in summer.
There are many more blue varieties than pinks, and a flower that starts out pink will usually shift to blue as it opens, so look for varieties with really strong hues so at least you’ll start from a good place.
‘Sissinghurst White’ (pictured) keeps its colour through the generations.
Cut P. officinalis right back to the ground in May and fresh foliage will soon regrow.
THIS WEEK’S JOB: DIVIDE HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS
Dig up plants with as much root as possible. Discard the central, older section of root and divide each plant into four with a spade or knife (or if loose, pull apart with your hands). Re-plant in groups or individually and water well.