March & Hints of Spring

After some lovely, sunny days, there are more early flowers starting to bloom and some pots of bulbs and hardy annuals ready to be planted out. Also, now that there is more light, it is the time to start sowing some seeds. Take a look at the Seed page – new seeds being added regularly.

Please send any orders to the email below and, if you live within 5 miles of Oxford, they can be delivered free to your door. (Minimum orders of £5.00). Payment can be arranged via BACS or cash/cheque.

thedevelopingplot@gmail.com

Flowers

It feels very cheering that there are flowers ready to order for delivery this week and next. (Pre-orders for Mothers’ Day can also be made from now up to Friday, March 12th). Narcissi, hellebores, anemones, tulips, Spring Snowflakes, daffodils and Spring blossom will be some of flowers included in each jam jar/bunch/bouquet.

The flowers are mainly grown in my garden and plot, but are supplemented for the next few weeks with other local and British flowers.

Bulbs in Pots

Scilla Litardierei in 9cm pots with flower shoots just breaking the surface. A truly lovely miniature bulb with star shaped blue flowers. Ideal for containers or can be planted in ground to increase year on year. Grows to around 10cm. £1.50 a pot

Scilla Bifolia in 9cm pots ready to be planted into pots, window boxes or into the garden. Their beautiful violet blue flower buds are just poking through and so will give interest for weeks to come. They will grow to about 15cm and if planted in the garden will naturalise. £1.50 a pot

Puschkinia Libanotica or Russian Snowdrop beautiful white flowers with a pale blue silvery blush. As with the scillas, this can be planted in containers or the garden now. The shoots are just breaking the surface giving a long time of interest. Likes well drained soil in full sun or partial shade and grows to around 20cm. £1.50 a pot

Anemone Blanda blue a 12cm terracotta pot filled with corms and the cheerful flowers are just breaking the surface. Would make a good gift. Can be planted in to the garden now in sun or partial shade or after flowering. Will naturalise and cheer up future Springs. Grows to around 15cm. £5.00 a pot

Rununculus in 9cm pots grown over Winter. These are quite tricky to grow, but once developed into a small plant, just need protecting from the weather. Can be planted 3 into a 15 litre container or into well drained soil which has sun. When flower buds show feed weekly with a liquid fertiliser such as tomorite or seaweed. Once flowered, wait until the foliage has died down and save corms for next Autumn or early Spring. Mixed colours £2.00 a pot

Hardy Annuals

Cerinthe Major

A lovely unfussy plant which gently and reliably self seeds. A pretty filler in the border and the vase, its attractive, purple bell-like flowers are a magnet for bees and other pollinators. It has silver grey/green leaves which often have a blue wash. It flowers early and long. Space plants 12″ apart. Enjoys sun, but flowers well in part shade too as well tolerates clay soil. Grown from seeds gathered from my plot. Plants have been hardened off and can be put in the garden now. £1.50 a pot

Homesown Fragrant Sweetpea Mix

These are grown from seeds saved from the plot from a selection of my favourite varieties chosen for their amazing scent and colour. The seedlings tolerate down to -5 so once they germinated, they were left outside to harden up. If the weather is particularly brutal, they might need a little protection. Prepare the soil to help water retention and plant out from start of March when weather is hospitable. Plant each pot around 8″ apart. Sweetpeas like to be well watered and prefer sun. They will need support to clamber up and regular picking to keep them flowering. They are the most generous of flowering annuals, but do need quite a lot of attention. I think it is worth it for the scent alone. £1.00 a pot of 2 seedlings.

Named Sweetpea Varieties