# Spring Flowers



## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Now that Spring has sprung, there are a lot of beautiful bulbs, shrubs and flowers in bloom at the moment. I'm rather lucky in that I work on a large estate looking after the gardens and grounds, so I suppose I get to see more than most. Here are a few of Spring's early birds....what have you got out in your garden at the moment?

The beautiful Snake's Head Frittilary....I love the chequered pattern on these flowers (they also come in white)....










....and the reason for the name....when in bud, the flower looks remarkably like a snakes head.










A sure sign of Spring...bright yellow Forsythia..



















A beautiful ground hugging bulb, Chionadoxa, or Star of the Snow.










...Continued in next post...


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Ribes sanguinea or 'Flowering Currant' makes a welcome return...



















Mounds of blue Aubretia tumble from every crevice...










...and as this weekend is Easter, what better flower to be in bloom than the gorgeous Pasque Flower.



















I hope you can get out to enjoy your gardens this week, and hopefully add to the Spring gallery! :thumbsup: More to come over the next few weeks.


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## fernface (Mar 9, 2011)

Some lovely colours among those shots Rog, really nice. As you asked for additions i will take some shots tomorrow of "something" i have in my garden! I do know what it is, but as you are "in the trade" it will be interesting to see if you can identify it.


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## fernface (Mar 9, 2011)

Here you go Rog, couple of grab shots before it rained, so light was not good.



















It took me ages to discover what it was, but then i am an ex bricklayer and a ex squaddie


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

fernface said:


> Here you go Rog, couple of grab shots before it rained, so light was not good.


Aah...the lovely Japanese Flowering Quince or Chaenomelese x superba...a beautiful, though thorny Spring flowering shrub. Great pics! Here are a couple of unusual ones I took today while checking out the grounds...first, the uncommon mouse plant, Arisaria proboscideum. This relative of the more common Lords and Ladies or Cuckoo Pint likes damp shady conditions, and the strange flowers always amuse kids. It's quite obvious where the common name comes from, as it looks just like a mouse disappearing down it's hole!




















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This next one is an aquatic floating plant, The Water Hawthorn (Aponogeton distachyos) whose double ended, waxy white flowers are highly scented, and an intriguing shape.


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## fernface (Mar 9, 2011)

That water hawthorn is really lovely. Tell you what if you had a hedge comprising Quince, you wouldnt get burglars trying to push through it, the thorns are absolutely lethal!! It was a couple of years before i noticed these weird fruits, it was the latter that made me go googling to try to find out what they were


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

fernface said:


> That water hawthorn is really lovely. Tell you what if you had a hedge comprising Quince, you wouldnt get burglars trying to push through it, the thorns are absolutely lethal!! It was a couple of years before i noticed these weird fruits, it was the latter that made me go googling to try to find out what they were


I agree, though Pyracantha and Berberis are just as bad....in fact Berberis is totally evil...the very fine thorns are barbed and the tips snap off under the skin if you get impaled...the only way to remove them is to wait until a whitehead appears, and they pop out on their own week or so later...nasty! :mummy: I usually get one or two every year, as you can never pick up every piece of pruning, and they lay in wait in the soil ready to pounce next time you're planting something. I always wear thick leather gardening gloves whenever I plant near the bushes, but they still pierce them as though I wasn't wearing any! :assassin:


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## jaslfc5 (Jan 2, 2007)

just loads and loads and loads of bluebells for me looks amazing though ,and luckily frost hasnt seen them off.


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