The weather forecast for this weekend looks wonderful, so plan a stroll or walk through the Willowwood Arboretum
Mornings at Willowwood have been filled with the lively sounds of bird chatter, and night time temperatures here seem to be finally inching higher. Daffodils, magnolias, forsythias and cherries continue to put on a cheerful show throughout the arboretum, and the addition of tulip flowers opening has really made it look like spring.
On your next visit, spend some time in the Cottage Garden, where tulips can be spotted alongside Virginia bluebells, also now in bloom. Keep an eye out for pulmonaria, with its white-spotted leaves and delicate flowers in shades of pale purple and blue. Also well worth noticing is Ipheion uniflorum, a dainty bulb from South America with grass-like foliage and star shaped flowers.
Newly blooming woody plants include Chaenomeles japonica, Japanese quince, and several types of spiraea. Look for the coral flowers of Japanese quince in the bed between the Stone Barn and the Shingle Barn. A lovely white-flowered spiraea, Spiraea thunbergii ‘Mount Fuji’, can be found not far away, at the corner of the Stone Barn near the pergola.
Reported by Sara Perzley, MCPC Plant Records Specialist & Propagator