My annual garden survey

Every year of 31^st March I walk around our garden and make a list of all the plants in flower or with flower buds.

This year I have made a table of the surveys for the last five years. It is interesting to note the variations from year to year. Spring 2010 followed a long, cold winter, with snow falling on 31 March.

March 2013 was very cold, delaying the flowering season.

The most recent winter was very wet, but rather mild. As a result new species appear on my list.

Y indicates that Yes, a species is in flower.  Bud and over need no explanation.

Plant 31 March	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
	Snowed on day			Cold March	Wet winter
anemone			Bud
bluebell			Bud
comfrey			Y	Y	Y
crocus	Y	Over	Over	Y	Over
daffodil		Y			Y
elephant’s ear		Y	Y		Y
flowering currant		Y	Y		Y
giant grape hyacinth	Y	Y	Y		Y
grape hyacinth		Y	Y	Y	Y
heather			Y
honesty					Y
hyacinth	Y	Y	Y		Y
miniature narcissus	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
narcissus		Y	Y		Y
pansy		Y	Bud
periwinkle	Y	Y	Y		Y
pink saxifrage			Y
polyanthus	Y	Y
primrose		Y	Y	Y	Y
primula denticulata	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
purple hebe					Y
rosemary					Y
saxifrage (red)			Y		Y
scilla		Y	Y		Y
skimmia					Y
snowdrop	Over	Over	Over	Y	Over
tulip		Y	Y		Bud
tulipa tarda			Y		Bud
wallflower	Y	Bud	Y	Y	Y
winter jasmine	Y	Over	Over	Over	Over

Elephant’s ears are Bergenia – their leaves are very large, hence the common name.

Giant grape hyacinths are Puschkinia scilloides or a similar plant.  (Not grape hyacinths at all and more like Scilla.  This is how wrong information is passed on!)

A few years ago a neighbour offered us some red lilies, which had been thriving in his garden.  We like lilies and were happy to accept the offered plants.  The bulbs and leaves looked rather suspicious to me.  We planted them and now have a good few clumps of crocosmia “Lucifer”.  It seems to be a case of “the devil being in the detail” – intentional pun!

I am linking to this week’s Writing challenge about time travel.  I have been able to use my records to remind myself of years gone by.  (My records go back for longer than 5 years, but for the purposes of this post 5 years gave a range if weather conditions and enough data to be going on with.)