Late arrival of butterflies in the garden

THE sun last Saturday brought out the first two butterflies in our garden. In a warm spot we could see them dancing around each other, twisting and rising as they courted around the bare trees and shrubs.

At first I thought they were large whites or cabbage whites, which are about the only butterflies I can identify with confidence, but they seemed too big and the colour too rich. In fact they seem likely, after a bit of research, to have been Brimstones which are tempted from hibernation on warm days in March. Since this spring is about five weeks behind, the timing would be right.

Brimstones hibernate as adult butterflies, hiding among bramble and ivy leaves, where they remain throughout the cold season until a rise in temperature tempts them out to find a mate. Bramble and ivy also provides a place for the adults to shelter should the sun disappear for a while.

The more typical April weather of sunshine and showers has also brought the garden to life and at last spring flowers are beginning to open and fill the empty beds. Daffodils are out in force, marching through the borders as their buds burst open.

The wind over the weekend knocked them about a bit and some of the taller species might look a bit battered. A few twigs pushed in among the clumps should offer enough support to keep them upright.

Another welcome family of spring flowers to come into flower this month are the pulmonarias. The small spotted leaves have been in evidence for a while, but now it is milder the garden is dotted with blue flowers as the plants perk up and realise it is time to grow.

Most of those we have are Pulmonaria offinalis, the common lungwort, which will grow almost anywhere. It has seeded itself about under trees, in the alpine bed and in the sunniest of spots, but I like it best in damp semi-shade where the flowers shine out and the leaves seem to stay fresher. The clumps will get quite large if left to grow undisturbed.

Early spring sees the emergence of new leaves which stay quite small whilst the flower stems begin to appear topped with buds then clusters of flowers that will last for a few weeks before dying back.

By then the leaves have got much larger and will be plain, spotted or deeply frosted according to variety. This is how they will stay for the rest of the summer, a useful gap filler and foil for other plants.

Weekend catch-up

IT IS time to start off some vegetable seeds. Don’t panic if the job has been left until now, because there is still plenty of time to catch up with crops such as broad beans, runner beans, beetroot and much more.

They can be sown in trays and pots and kept indoors for a while to germinate and grown on before being hardened off and planted outside in late May or early June depending on the weather. As the soil warms up potatoes and onions can be put directly into their permanent spots.

Plant fair

FLOWER Power Fairs will hold a spring plant fair at Sutton Park in Sutton-on-the-Forest tomorrow.

Opening at 11am there will be a range of plant specialists and nurseries there with displays of perennials and shrubs, grasses and bulbs to plant for instant colour or for later flowers in the summer. Admission to the fair includes the award-winning gardens. There is plenty of nearby parking and refreshments will be on sale in the café on site.

Tulip time

Burnby Hall Gardens in Pocklington have had to postpone their first tulip festival due to the late spring. It will now run from Saturday, May 4h to Sunday, May 12 to give the flowers extra time for blooming.

Burnby Hall Gardens has teamed up with Chelsea Flower Show gold medal winners Bloms Bulbs for the festival, for which staff and volunteers at the gardens have planted more than 14,000 tulip bulbs. Pots of tulips will line the main pathway of the gardens and more tulips will be included in displays around the nine-acre site.

Burnby Hall Gardens and Museum has been a Yorkshire in Bloom gold medal winner for the past three years and is well known for its national collection of hardy water lilies. Bloms Bulbs is a family run firm based in Holland, the UK and America. Started around 150 years ago by Walter Blom, the company is now run by his grandson, Paul.

Open garden

Friday

In aid of the National Gardens Scheme

Shandy Hall Gardens, Coxwold, YO61 4AD. The home of C18 author Laurence Sterne, Shandy Hall Gardens has an acre of unusual perennials interplanted with tulips and old roses in low walled beds and a further acre of old quarry planted to encourage wildlife including more than 220 recorded species of moth. Please note this is an evening opening from 6.30pm-8.30pm. Admission £3 adult, accompanied children free.

Gardening TV and Radio.

Sunday

8am, BBC Radio Humberside, The Great Outdoors. With Blair Jacobs and Doug Stewart.

9am, BBC Radio York, Mark Forrest. Mark Forrest presents his weekly programme of gardens and gardening advice.

9am, BBC Radio Leeds, Tim Crowther and Joe Maiden.

2pm, BBC R4, Gardeners’ Question Time. This week chairman Eric Robson is joined by panellists Chris Beardshaw, Pippa Greenwood and Matthew Wilson who advise gardeners from Ickenham, Middlesex.

Friday

3pm, BBC R4, Gardeners’ Question Time. Panellists Toby Buckland, Bunny Guinness and Anne Swithinbank join chairman Eric Robson in Cornwall where they advise gardeners from St Kerverne.

8.30pm, BBC2, Gardeners’ World. Monty Don looks at growing grape vines and Rachel de Thame explores a hidden suburban garden.