Welcome to the late spring English Garden Newsletter

Well so far this March we have had beautiful sunny days, winds, snow, hail and ice and great downpours of rain. And how is the garden? Surprisingly OK! I hope your garden is too.

Magnolias seem to suffer in March - they are just about to open their blossoms when frost, rain or too much wind spoils the flowers. You can buy Magnolias in a variety of sizes, from large trees to small shrubs which will fit in most gardens and will also grow in large pots. They can be semi-evergreen, evergreen or deciduous with flowers from whites, cream, yellow, pink and purple.

Magnolias like a sunny sheltered spot with good rich soil that is well drained. Don't plant them too deep - the top of the soil should be at the same level as it was in the pot.

Here is a selection of the magnolias that will be in flower now and into April and May - so it is a good time to pop along to a garden centre or garden mart and see them in flower - that way you will know exactly what the flowers will be like.

Magnolia stellata or star magnolia is perefect for small gardens which have alkaline soil. It's slow growing and has white star-shaped flowers from March to April.

Magnolia Heaven Scent has pale pink and white blooms from mid spring.

Magnolia Susan has large purple flowers

Magnolia liliflora - this is a small deciduous bushy shrub;it has purplish white flowers in May and grows to about 3m (10ft).

Magnolia liliflora - Nigra is the same as above but has dark-purple flowers from April to June.

Magnolia loebneri is an upright large shrub. It has star-shaped pinky/white flowers.

Magnolia Elizabeth' has pale creamy-yellow, scented flowers. It is a slow growing medium-sized tree, flowering in April and May.

Yellow Lantern also has creamy yellow blooms and grows in an upright habit that makes it ideal for a small garden.

Here's the latest article from the English Garden site at BellaOnline.com.

Scented Autumn plants
Plants for an English Garden that will give some gorgeous scents as well as colour in an autumn garden.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art56164.asp

Please visit englishgarden.bellaonline.com for even more great content about English Garden.

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http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=283

I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback!

Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!

Hellie T., English Garden Editor
http://englishgarden.bellaonline.com

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