A late flourish adds spring colour

There is so much colour in the garden at the moment. All the spring flowers are out and the good weather last week ensured everything blossomed together.

Every day there is another shrub showing colour, quite apart from the rhododendrons which are all in bloom now.

I took a cutting of crinodendron a couple of years ago, and it has flowers now. It's always exciting when it's one of my own cuttings.

The flowers hang like little lanterns up the stems and, I am glad to say, it has not suffered from the winter weather at all. It is in a very sheltered corner by the door, so I hope it doesn't grow too big.

Yesterday I noticed the weigelia loomansii, which is a golden leafed shrub, with pretty pink flowers. It makes a nice contrast to other shrubs with its golden leaves, even when it is not flowering.

Next to the gate is the kolkwitzia which has grown quite huge and is a delight when it flowers. It has pink flowers, very similar to a weigelia, and just as easy to grow.

I could've cut it back, so that it wouldn't grow so big, but there is plenty of room for it behind a golden conifer.

Another little shrub, which I like very much, is prunus glandulosa which has double pink flowers.

There is also a white one, and they mix well with herbaceous plants.

The snag with this is that every year, after it has flowered, it gets a mildew-like disease on some of the branches.

I always cut them off as soon as I notice a problem, and the plant recovers. As nothing else seems to be affected it really does not matter.

This is a good time of year to take a few cuttings from deciduous shrubs, which are always useful, either to swap with other people, or to sell for charity.

I have a shady frame on the north side of some shrubs, and I take the cuttings and cover them with jam jars.

At this time of year they root within a few weeks, when the jam jars can be taken off. When they are established they can be potted up.

The cuttings should be about 4-5 inches long, and cut below a leaf bud.

The leaves should be cut off cleanly at the bottom, and if the top is soft that should be cut off also.

Try it. The thrill of creating a new plant is well worth the trouble, and you will soon learn which ones root easily.

By Pat Edwards