Spring comes early to the garden because of the
warm springs that feed the lake - although, as
the ground also lies in an intense frost pocket
at the bottom of Longstock Park, the tender first
shoots can still be vulnerable. Nevertheless, as
the uncertainties of March give way to the milder
temperatures of April, every bank and island is
suddenly alive with new growth.The many species of
deciduous tree unfurl their buds - birch, willow,
swamp cypress, a whole variety of deciduous
conifers. And bulbs and perennials like the
snake's head fritillary and the skunk cabbage
begin to flower at the water's edge.
Although the
soil is mostly chalk, there is a woodland area of
peat with the high acidity that rhododendrons and
camellias prefer, and soon their blooms spread
rich drifts of colour between the trees. And
everywhere the stark outlines of winter are
beginning to vanish beneath the clean, sharp
green of thrusting leaves and shoots.
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Silver birches in early leaf beside the
lake. |
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| Skunk cabbage. |
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