GBBD: The Darling Buds of March

Clematis 'Diamantina' in bud, March 2016

Spring is continuing apace here at VP Gardens, with many plants in bud well ahead of their usual time due to the mild winter. I don't think any of my clematis had a proper dormant season at all. As a result they're showing buds aplenty and some quite malnourished looking growth.

My C. 'Diamantina' (pictured) grows strongly and as its pruning time is late winter/early spring, I can sacrifice these 'darling buds of March without fear of losing any later flower power. To make doubly sure I'll give the plant a good feed of pelleted chicken manure to ensure much stronger growth and flowers later on.

Buds and flowers of prostrate rosemary, March 2016

Another plant with plenty of buds (and flowers) is my trailing rosemary. This plant never read the label and is in bloom regularly from December onwards.

I saw the upright version in full bloom at a lineside garden on the West Somerset Railway last week, being bombarded by bumble bees in the bright sunshine. Proof of why I value this plant as an early bee magnet in my garden.
My neighbour's magnolia tree full of buds, March 2016
My neighbour's kindly let me borrow some of her magnolia's branches for my garden and it's always a tense time at this time of year, especially when there are the first signs of those plentiful buds beginning to break. We currently have a high pressure system over the UK, which means gorgeously warm spring days, but with the danger of frost overnight. Here's hoping all that promise isn't turned to toast.

Burncoose nurseries has plenty of reassurance on their magnolia cultivation page. The protective coat you can see serves as a natural fleece to those buds. It also seems that magnolias are good at adapting themselves to their local conditions and may bloom later in more northern or cooler parts of the UK. The website also has plenty of later blooming suggestions for happy magnolia times.

Do you have any darling buds of March this year?

 Garden Bloggers' Blooms Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Comments

  1. Lea15 March 2016 at 09:16

    Lovely promise in the buds!
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
    Lea

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening15 March 2016 at 12:59

    It looks like spring is arriving for you with those glorious buds. Happy Bloom Day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP16 March 2016 at 09:38

      Thanks Lee and welcome to Veg Plotting :)

      Delete
  3. Dorothy Borders15 March 2016 at 15:10

    One can see spring peeking around the corner in your garden. Thank you for sharing your "darling buds."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP16 March 2016 at 09:38

      There's lots of spring here already Dorothy - I've had daffodils in flower since December!

      Delete
  4. Janet/Plantaliscious15 March 2016 at 17:55

    I have lots of promising furry buds on my magnolia stellata, and the acer buds are starting to swell too. No flowers on the rosemary, prostrate or otherwise, but the wonderful teucrium has been flowering all winter and is still going! Isn't it a glorious time of year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP16 March 2016 at 09:39

      Ahhh yes, my teucrium did that too, until the really bad winter of 2010. However, I'm sure it's a lot milder where you are Janet :)

      Delete
  5. Anonymous16 March 2016 at 02:48

    I have a few. My magnolia is wide open and blooming her head off. Sometimes, I lose her blooms because of a freeze. Other years I don't. Weather is weird as usual. Happy Bloom day my friend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP16 March 2016 at 09:41

      There's definitely quite a lot of pink showing now Dee. The magnolias were in full flower in London a few weeks ago - just shows how much warmer a large city can be.

      Delete
  6. Pauline16 March 2016 at 06:43

    Lots of promising buds just waiting in the wings until it is their turn to open and add their flowers to the spring display. I must get a magnolia, I'm sure I can squeeze one in somewhere!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP16 March 2016 at 09:42

      I squeezed a Magnolia stellata into a pot Pauline, so there must be scope for you!

      Delete
  7. Sarah Shoesmith16 March 2016 at 08:34

    I noticed that the rosemary in one of the most exposed areas of our garden is in flower at the moment. The ones close to the kitchen, where it is sheltered, are showing no sign of flower. Mind you, that might be because I pick them more often - and since I usually pick herbs in the dark, I may have unwittingly eaten the flower buds! Fingers crossed you don't get a hideous frost and we all get to enjoy a post on glorious magnolia flowers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP16 March 2016 at 09:42

      The magnolia was magnificent last year, so fingers crossed. Did you know the flowers are edible?

      Delete
  8. Sue Garrett16 March 2016 at 16:09

    I have fingers crossed for our magnolia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP30 March 2016 at 21:21

      Next door's has just about managed to survive - it's beginning to look glorious. Fingers crossed yours will too.

      Delete

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