Again this month I’m joining Cathy from Words & Herbs with her monthly Five Favourites! Perhaps you would like to join in too.

It should have been easy to select five favourites for the month of March, but after a nasty winter and a very wet start to Spring, the garden has a limited photo-worthy selection. But the sturdy survivors have been glorious.

Narcissus ‘Tête-à-tête’. In pots, beds and borders throughout the garden, little Tête-à-tête is a miracle of nature. They withstand the winds and heavy rain that will break or bow down their larger cousins, and their bright sunny colour is a cheer-me-up tonic on the gloomiest of days.

Crocus tommasinianus ‘Ruby Giant’. I have learned over the years that there is only one crocus that wont succumb to the elements in this garden and that is Crocus ‘Ruby Giant’. I still buy other varieties, but they have gone well before Ruby Giant bows down and lies on the soil or grass.

Iris reticulata. Last October I added a collection of small spring-flowering bulbs to my order, to plant in a wooden container that sits at the foot of the patio. I thought it would make a pleasant spring display and once they died back I would plant on top of them for summer flowering plants. They are all very pretty but the reality is that many of the slightly shorter, more delicate flowers are hidden behind taller, stronger specimens. But still, there are a few favourites that aren’t growing elsewhere this year. Below is a lovely white Iris reticulata (unnamed).

This purple Iris reticulata looks quite imposing, even though it’s very small.

Camellia ‘Daintiness’. This is my much-loved Camellia ‘Daintiness’. It sits at the far side of the patio (shown HERE) and flowers over many weeks through late winter and early to mid-spring. This year its flowering pattern was odd. It started to flower in early February, but only on one half of the shrub. From top to bottom the left half of the bush flowered, while the right half stubbornly kept its buds tightly closed. The white background pattern if part of one of two large decor panels that mask an old garden fence.

Spring Patio Mix. So finally, what gets my vote as my most favourite? That’s easy, everything that’s flowering right now. The pots are on my bistro table, the cameo view is outside my patio where I can enjoy the view all day, every day, regardless of the weather, until its time for them to fade and begin their rejuvenation process for their outing next year.

Those are my five favourites for this month.

During April I will be visiting my daughter and her family in Washington DC (wish me luck!). I will miss the arrival of April flowers. I notice that Exochorda ‘Niagara’ is covered in tiny buds so perhaps I’ll be lucky and they will open before I go. Tulip bulbs are well up too, but with a little bit of luck I might just catch sight of them when I get back.

Meantime, I hope you have a beautiful spring, with plenty of sunshine and overnight rain to keep your garden in tip top condition.

Catherine x