The weather is beginning to warm up as the days get longer, a lot is going on in the garden, the Camellias are blooming and  brighten up a shady spot. They love acid soil with plenty of humus, take cuttings after flowering from new semi-ripe growth and place in a designated acid soil bed in dappled shade they will take many months to root.

 This japonica planted next to the Viburnum which is also flowering now, and fills the air with it’s heavy sweet scent. This variety likes acid woodland soil with good drainage, is evergreen, and thrives in deep shade.Another great prolific flowering climber is Clematis armandii, This native of China clambers up over 20 feet and produces a canopy of snow white flowers with a subtle vanilla scent, it’s long glossy leaves also have interest. It loves it’s base in deep shade under this Rhodedendron.

Another Acid loving plant in bud now is the Blueberry. It responds to a good mulch of well rotted manure in autumn.

This well known superfood, has numerous health benefits, very rich in vitamin C and K, important in skin and gum regeneration and blood clotting. High in antioxidants, known in cancer prevention and oxidative stress like exercise, helps to lower cholesterol.