The Garden in Late Spring

Since we last visited the garden we have had some extraordinary weather: the latter part of March was unseasonable warm and dry, but April was almost unrelentingly wet and chilly. You can even see the evidence of the sudden sharp showers we have experienced in this photograph: there are raindrops on the lens,as they were very hard to avoid!

The photographs were taken in between a succession of heavy, thundery showers of rain and hail. If we look around the garden we can see that the great beech hedge has yet to come into leaf,

but that some narcissi

and the Lenten Roses -hellebores- (Helleborus orientalis) are still in flower.

However, other spring flowers are now joining them in bloom. Clumps of grape hyacinth  (Muscari)

and two types of bluebells can be seen in the borders,

as well as the very distinctive Snakes Head Fritillaries, (Fritillaria meleagris)

and the ethereal froth of white flowers of the prunus, (Prunus gladulosa)

There are even clumps of the Pasque flower, (Pulsatilla vulgaris)

in the border near the Learning Centre, and in the Dye Plant Beds

Finally, in the small border beneath the Gothic Window of the Drawing Room, wallflowers (Cheiranthus cheiri) which are traditionally grown near house walls in order that their rich fragrance can be enjoyed from an open window, are now in bloom.

Our next visit to the garden at the Museum will be in a few weeks time, and we do hope you will be able to join us.