Images of spring

Since I'm now among the ranks of gardeners who can brag about all the lovely things that are already in bloom in March, I thought I would take advantage of it. Who knows when I'll find myself back in the harsh winters of Eastern Canada, complaining about all the show-offs in Britain or the West Coast. In that generous spirit, here are some pictures I took this weekend at our little botanical garden in Leuven (at least I can't brag with my own flowers since I'm living in an apartment, although I do have little Tête-à-tête daffodils blooming in outdoor containers). Even though it's only early March, flower colours ranged the full spectrum, from pure white hellebores to the dark burgundy blossoms of Parrotia persica.








Erythronium dens-canis 'Rose Queen'.

Parrotia persica.

And with spring we also welcomed several new lambs at our CSA farm. Only a few days old, they were running around as sure-footed as their parents.

RHS Garden Rosemoor, Devon, England

Rosemoor garden in Devon is one of the four large, public gardens maintained by the famous Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in the UK. Similar to some of the other RHS gardens, Rosemoor was a private donation, and came with a house, an English-style garden of flowering perennials, shrubs and trees, and about 65 acres of surrounding, undeveloped land. Needless to say, the RHS had its work cut out - since taking over in 1988, they have invested a lot of resources and effort in converting the site into an world-class garden and educational resource.

Today, Rosemoor makes for a great, relaxing garden visit. While its main aim is not necessarily to pioneer break-through ideas in horticulture, it does a good job of balancing good old-fashioned horticulture with some new and more adventurous developments.

As with every garden we have visited in England thus far, the first thing that made an impression was the plantsmanship. The stream-side planting below is just one example – the damp conditions were perfectly suited to Carex elata ‘Aurea’ (Bowles’ golden sedge), bold gunnera, primulas and ferns.








Given that the main aim of the RHS is education, the garden includes a little bit of everything, from annual plantings to woodland. This perhaps detracts from making one strong impression, but it does allow visitors to see many different habitats and scenarios, from model city gardens to traditional cottage gardens, which I never seem to tire of.

Another nice area was the woodland on the steeper, upper side of the garden. This is a spring garden and was especially good at the time we visited in late May – masses of thriving rhododendrons were in full bloom under the filtered light and protection of the mature canopy.

An example of the RHS’ efforts to incorporate contemporary design into its gardens is showcased in the new Square garden, designed by Roger Webster and installed in 2007-2008. The planting here is decidedly more modern – ‘new perennials’ and grasses are used to support the hot colour theme. The development and design intent of the Square garden is detailed in this article by Rosemoor curator Christopher Bailes, which also includes some nice pictures of the garden at its impressive peak during late summer. Even at the time of our visit it was looking great – public gardens face a tough challenge trying to balance one spectacular peak with year-round interest, but this garden seems to have figured it out.

I also really enjoyed some of the meadow areas. Given the large grounds, meadows are almost a necessity at Rosemoor. In the second one below, Camassia was dotted through the grass to great effect. I saw a lot of Camassia in England, and it’s always interesting to see how some of our North American natives are often ignored at home but much appreciated abroad. Wonder if the Camassia manages to naturalize here – they still looked rather sparse in this area, but perhaps it’s still too soon to tell.

Spring in the forest

This past weekend we enjoyed that special occurrence of perfect weather as spring merged into summer: sunshine, temperatures hot enough for just a t-shirt but not too hot, and still fresh, crisp air. And what better to do on such a perfect day than to spend it outside, in our case rock climbing in Freyr, in the south-eastern part of Belgium. It’s a beautiful area with an unusual topography – rock faces and random pillars rise out of the ground in the most unexpected places, dotting a strip of forest along the banks of the Meuse river.

Our day at Freyr reminded me that the forest in spring is a magical place. Can anything ever match the incredible green colour of new leaves, or spring sun trickling through the emerging forest? Ahh, the poetry... maybe I’ll just leave it to the pictures to hopefully convey the magic.

Trees in flower

Last year, I was amazed by the spring display put on by the many flowering trees scattered throughout Leuven. Their profusion seems to be on a whole other level compared to flowering trees in Eastern Canada – each is literally an explosion of blooms. At other times of the year, this overwhelming bounty of flowers might be garish and unnatural. But now, after many months of grays, browns, and overcast skies, it's the most beautiful sight in the world. Here are a few pictures of what's been blooming in Leuven over the last two weeks.

Old fashioned saucer magnolia in the Leuven Begijnhof.


Cherry tree (don't know the variety) in bud and bloom.


Magnolia kobus, one of the most magnificent magnolias I have ever seen, in the Leuven Botanical garden.



Kerria japonica in the Leuven botanical garden.

Flowering pear trained along the brick wall in the walled garden of the Leuven Botanical Garden. The plants on the south and west walls are in full bloom, with the east wall lagging a little behind.



And random shrubs on the side of the road, still blooming their hearts out.