March – early colour in the garden

What a month! From glorious blue skies to sudden hailstorms, with the odd gale and drenching downpour thrown in for good measure, March has certainly kept us on our toes. The only weather we've really been lacking is frost – with just one or two mornings greeting us with a dusting of white.

The unusually mild temperatures mean we're seeing plants coming into bloom a good month or so earlier than you might expect – we've even spotted bluebells out in the lane. Add to that the things that would normally flower in March, and it's shaped up to be rather a colourful month in the garden.

Spotted in the meadow. Much like bluebells, these snakeshead fritillaries (Fritiallaria meleagris) would normally flower in April-May.

Likewise this cloud-pruned Osmanthus x burkwoodii, though we're certainly not sorry to be enjoying its deliciously sweet scent a few weeks early!

Equally, Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae is peaking earlier than we've been used to. And whilst we're on the subject – what a plant! Anyone with a tricky patch of dry shade could do a lot worse than to introduce this one. Yes it's a bit of a runner, though in challenging conditions where little else thrives this can often be a good thing. The glossy, dark evergreen foliage looks great all year round, and it's a stalwart of Bella's winter flower arrangements. Her tip is to dip the stems in some boiling water to stop the sticky, and irritating white sap spoiling the water for everything else.

The Chanticleer pear (Pyrus calleryana 'Chanticleer'), meanwhile, is bang on schedule – much to the delight of the many pollinators that can be heard buzzing in and out of its generous supply of blossom.

We've been enjoying this newcomer in the Forest Garden – a shrubby, thicket-forming member of the rose family called Oemleria cerasiformis (commonly known as osoberry). Native to North America, it has a long history of use among Native American tribes for food, medicine, and tool-making. As one of the earliest flowering shrubs to bloom, it brings a welcome lift at the start of the season, and we have high hopes for it settling in and forming quite a spectacular large clump.

Another new discovery for us, this time from Turkey. Pachphragma macrophyllum is a shade-loving member of the mustard family, prized for its ability to spread gently into a dense, weed-suppressing carpet. Much like Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae, it's reputed to be a real champion in the mean, root-parched soil beneath trees.

It's not just far flung, exotic introductions taking centre stage. Ficaria verna, better known as lesser celandine, currently blankets the lane banks and has crept under the hedge to make itself quite at home it the front garden. Fortunately, it dies back quickly and neatly after flowering, leaving little trace and giving us no reason to remove it.

Pentaglottis sempervirens (AKA green alkanet), is another wild interloper. Dismissed by many gardeners as a pesky weed, we're happy to welcome its cheery blue spring flowers and the rich wildlife value it brings – provided it pops up in the right place, of course! Did you know, this familiar wildflower isn't actually native to the UK? It escaped into the wild after being introduced from mainland Europe around 300 years ago.

Meanwhile, Johnnie has not spring blossom on his mind but the model railway instead – seen here hard at work on some major track improvements.

Join Bella for a walk around in the latest video on the Gasper Cottage Youtube channel, where you'll hear her talk about what she's been enjoying most in the garden this month.