March’s Winter Garden Update

How nice would it be to escape to the tropics or warmer climes – you can do just that by visiting our glasshouses this month!

Plants are emerging from their winter dormancy in the garden but the main attraction this month are our glasshouses which are erupting into bloom and taking us on a tour of the world! We have hot, temperate and frost free houses all showcasing a variety of plants from around the world.

Making an impact is our Brazilian native – Brunfelsia pauciflora – Commonly known as the Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow flower. It gets this name from the colour of the flowers which open a rich purple, next day fading to lavender then on day 3 almost white. The scent is amazing and fills our hot house right now. Unfortunately although beautiful all parts of the plant are poisonous so care needs to be taken with it!

A close second is our Mexican contender – Bartlettina sordida or Purple Torch/Blue Mist flower. In its natural habitat it can grow to 15 feet! Wonderful lilac almost neon fluffy flowers with a slight lilac scent – they are in full bloom right now and well worth seeing.

To honour our Duchess’s heritage the South African native – Strelitzia or Bird of Paradise is dominating the hot house with wonderful flowers all over! Commonly known as Bird of Paradise or Crane Flower in SA- it’s obvious to see why!

With our peach blossom fading – our citrus trees take over – they may be small but the lemon blossoms scent is powerful and stunning and fills the temperate house – it will be flowering very soon!

Finally the frost free Pelargonium House is coming into bloom and the scented leaves are lovely. An unusual one to spot in here is the Pelargonium papilionaceum or Butterfly Geranium – scented green leaves and delicate pink flowers just like butterflies hovering above the plant.

So escape the cold and enjoy a trip around the world in our glasshouses this month!

If you do want to see real signs of spring – the daffodils are also here!