The pear blossom was magnificent in March and April and now the orchard is a riot of pink and white apple blossom with a carpet of wildflowers including cowslips, dandelions and spears of blue camassias adding to the palette. May is definitely 'Wild Flower Month' at West Dean.
Well spring has certainly sprung and everything is roaring out of the ground as if its life depended on it, which in a way of course it does. This is a lovely time of the year, full of promise, everything looking fresh in the first flush of its youth and as yet unblemished by the vagaries of weather, pests or disease.
What a well behaved spring we're enjoying; cool temperatures with some sunny days bursting through allowing enough time to get on with seasonal work - unlike warm springs where watering becomes the name of the game.
People often talk about good blossom years when the combination of prolific flower production and perfect climatic conditions at the time of flowering i.e. still, no hard frosts nor torrential rain or even worse sleet or hail, all come together to produce a display which is mind blowing in its intensity and over the top profligacy. When that happens you are witnessing one of the best bits of nature bling you could wish for and it's my impression that the last couple of weeks have been one of those magic moments for Magnolias.
Who remembered that days of sunshine could be quite so blissful- last summer seemed so long ago? We are actually working outdoors without wet weather clothing for the first time in ages and are really feeling the benefit.
I have always had a soft spot for primulas even to the extent of making them the subject of my taxonomy paper as a student on the Kew Diploma. Surprisingly that only increased my enthusiasm!
It's official, it's been the wettest winter on record with 425mm of rain falling so far this year - about 17 inches in old money. As a consequence the mighty river Lavant is in fine form whooshing through the gardens lickety-split.