The Nuttery in spring

The Nuttery in Spring

Gardening is about recognising your opportunities. In the Nuttery the opportunities are for spring and early summer woodland plants, before the hazel canopies close in. This is a stylised woodland, with British natives plus exotics such as Veratrum, Matteuccia and Smyrmium.

It's important to keep a balance - these plants coexist happily but at some point will overwhelm each other. Always be on the lookout for things being a bit aggressive or sneaking in where they shouldn't - mark them so you can dig them out later.

For a garden based around perennials, annuals, biennials and bulbs, late spring is the most dynamic season, with a lot of change each day. Showy plants like tree peonies and irises come into their own, while simple additions like ribbons of white foxgloves can be just as mesmerising.

It's late spring, my favourite time in the Nuttery, and I want to share how to embrace this time of year with seasonal planting.

Plant Directory

Corylus avellana

Hazel

Hardy, deciduous, large shrub or small multistemmed tree

Betulaceae

Digitalis purpurea f. albiflora

White-flowered foxglove

Hardy biennial or short-lived perennial

Plantaginaceae

Hyacinthoides non-scripta

Bluebell

Hardy bulbous perennial

Asparagaceae

Iris germanica species and cultivars

Bearded irises

Hardy herbaceous perennials from rhizomes

Iridaceae

Maianthemum stellatum (formerly Smilacina stellata)

Star-flowered lily of the valley

Hardy herbaceous perennial

Asparagaceae

Matteuccia struthiopteris

Shuttlecock fern

Hardy deciduous perennial

Onocleaceae

Paeonia species and cultivars

Peonies

Hardy herbaceous perennials or deciduous subshrubs

Paeoniaceae

Smyrnium perfoliatum

Perfoliate alexanders

Hardy herbaceous biennial

Apiaceae

Veratrum species and cultivars

False hellebores

Hardy herbaceous perennials from rhizomes

Melanthiaceae