April, the angel of the months...

“April, the angel of the months, the young love of the year.”

 – Vita Sackville-West

I like this quote and it is from one of my favorite people so I thought that would be a nicer title than my first choice - "Spreading Manure". 

Spreading manure is how I spent most of the weekend. What a beautiful weekend it has been. The garden is all of a sudden wide awake with no remnants of winter left.

I drove out to South Ridge Farms in Ridgefield on Friday and got a load of horse manure and later went back for another. Beautiful stuff -

Some of my favorite plants in the garden now...

My favorite lavender is 'Platinum Blonde'. It has never bloomed that much but the foliage more than makes up for that...

Magnolia 'Fairy White' - a new series of magnolias. I thought I would keep this in a pot but I am having second thoughts. I'd love to find a place in the ground. I'm looking and thinking...

Podophyllum 'Spotty Dotty' is just an amazing plant and looks better every year.

The rhododendrons are just beginning to bloom. This is 'Unique Variegated' that I bought at Gossler Farms a few years ago -

'Schipka' Cherry Laurel, probably the most overused plant in the region, but it does have some admirable qualities. I do love the flowers (so do the bees) and the fast-growing privacy screen it provides -

Viburnum davidii which some might argue is THE most over-used plant 

Barberry 'Orange Rocket' with the Red Currant still going strong in the background -

Daphne 'Carol Mackie' sooooo fragrant!

The pink dogwood was the only mature tree on the property when we moved in. Most years, the flowers have been erratic, sometimes appearing only at the top or bottom of the tree, but this year it is perfect -

Looking up the terraces, it looks a bit chaotic at the moment before the plants leaf out completely -

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy