Could spring be with us at last? When we last put fingers to keyboard we thought that winter was past - not quite, Mother Nature even played an April Fools by sending many of us snow!

April is always an exiting time in the garden, with every day showing signs of new growth. While we are all keen, now is the time to tidy the borders, ‘feed and weed’ the lawn and give an all purpose fertilizer to all plants.

Plants are like children, if you want them to grow and be healthy they need food and a good balanced diet. Once you have done your garden MOT, if the borders are well planted, there should be minimum interference for the summer.

Have a robot cut the grass, like we do, and you can really enjoy the garden for the summer!

Three groups of trees which seen to exemplify spring are the Japanese cherries, crab apples and Magnolias. Fortunately there are varieties for every size of garden, ranging from the compact Malus ‘Evereste’ and M. Van Eseltine, Prunus ‘Kiku-shidare Sakura’and P. ‘Shirotae’ and Magnolia soulangiana to Prunus ‘Tai Haku’ and the evergreen Magnolia grandiflora.

For an upright narrow tree use the Prunus ‘Amanogawa’, or for dark chocolate foliage, Malus ‘Royalty’ or Prunus nigra.

As the month moves on, we are treated to the opulent display of Wisteria, taking us into May. Nothing at this time of year can outdo the lavishness of a wall or pergola festooned by these scented blooms.

If pruned back well during the winter, these long-lived plants, once established, will reward you for years. Varieties are available with blooms 80cm long and also with white flowers.

At our design centre, we have both the lavender and white types. Normally, a Wisteria will provide a second flowering in early autumn, but for extending the flowering season, plant a herbaceous Clematis such as a Clematis viticella variety.

Another prolific bloomer for now is the easy grown Clematais montana. This will effortlessly cover an arch or trellis and is not susceptible to Clematis wilt, as neither are the viticella types previously mentioned. Once established, it can be easily maintained with a good haircut after flowering. No need to get technical, just cut away the excess growth, it is a tough old bird.

The Viburnum family having gived good value in late winter, will continue with Viburnum burkwoodii, with its scented snowball flowers, the Guelder rose, Viburnus opulus, the wedding cake Viburnum, Viburnum plicatum ‘Mariesii’ and the fragrant Viburnum carlesii.

Now is also the time to set seed for the jardin potager, e.g. courgette, pumkins (indoors), lettuce, carrots etc., but provide protection or keep indoors until mid-May. Hopefully, we will enjoy some spring-like weather now.

Oh joy! We were walking our labrador, Tommy,  in the forest recently and we found the first primrose. It was especially welcome because it was our daughter’s third birthday. We are lucky living in Switzerland in that because there is less use of chemicals, the grasslands and roadsides reward us each spring with a profusion of primroses, cowslips, harebells, speedwell etc.

To us, as to many people, the wild primrose is one of the highlights, but we can brighten up our gardens with a variety of coloured polyanthers from the garden centres without breaking the bank. Added to a border near the house, or in pots, they will provide colour until the summer bedding is ready to be planted.

Unless you live at a 1,000 metres plus, March is the time to cut back old growth on herbaceaous plants, grasses etc. especially hardy Fuchsias, Perovskia, Lavatera. We dealt with our autumn fruiting raspberries this weekend and the shoots were already beginning to swell.

We often have a battle with clients wanting to ‘tidy’ their gardens in the autumn. Natually, nobody wants to look at a messy garden all winter, but it nature’s way of protecting the plant against the cold.

If you want to move a plant, now is a good time because it enables the plant to become established before the summer. Obviously, try and get as much root material as posible and when re-planting, add lots of compost to give it a good start. If we have a dry spring, remember to water.

Now is also a good time for projects in the garden, e.g. adding an archway in metal or wood. Arches are a great way of linking different areas of the garden, even if it leads to the compost area!

We are adding one by the chicken house which will mark the entrance to the herb garden. Arches also allow one to grow climbers, including roses, clematis, honeysuckle.

D.I.Y. packs can be found in the stores and are not difficult to construct. Arches, however, should always be in ascociation with either planting either side of a decent height, e.g. Photinia ‘Red Robin’, Philadelphus ‘Belle Etoile, Cornus alba, or trellis.

Nothing looks more unnatural than an archway stuck in the middle of a lawn on its own. Good roses for an arch are Compassion, New Dawn, Danse de Feu, Eden Rose or Wedding Day.

For a wilder look use honeysuckle mixed with clematis, or for a protected garden to give a scented entrance, use the evergreen Trachelospermum jasminoides.

As we said last month, we are at Habitat Jardin in Lausanne (March 6-13), stand 28/hall 28 and would be delighted to chat to any of our readers.

Already in February with, we hope, the worst of the winter behind us, the nights are drawing out and the sun becoming stronger each day. In our gardens and in the countryside we now look eagerly for the first signs of spring. That is why bulbs are one of the most valuable sources of colour in the spring garden, window-boxes and containers.  One of the great advantages is that they can be enjoyed on any scale from the smallest balcony to the large garden.

Snowdrops are one of the first bulbs to flower, with delicate white bells appearing before the leaves. These work very well in deciduous shrub borders, e.g. planted beneath the red steed Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’, or the coral branches of Acer palmatum ‘Sangokaku’. Another early flower which suits full shade are the winter aconites, Eranthus hyemalis, their yellow faces chasing the cold of winter away.

One thing which often puts people off bulbs is the dead foliage when they have finished, because it is necessary to leave the foliage for 6 weeks after flowering to allow the energy to build up again in the bulb for flowering the following year. However, when using them conjunction with shrubs and perennials, the new border growth can disguise the old foliage.

Many clients don’t care for yellow in the garden, but exceptions are made for daffodils, certainly the heralds of spring. Daffodils can be forced indoors in pots for an interior display, and also grow well in containers. The choice is wide from the traditional yellow trumpets of Wordsworth, to the more delicate narcissus with their wonderful scents. Normally, of course, you plant the bulbs in September/October, but for containers, you can buy them now pot grown.

Crocuses are cheerful little flowers which naturalize well in grass. Planted in a lawn, they will provide an attractive splash of colour, and by the time the grass is ready for a first cut, their foliage is ready to be cut down. Tulips have an interesting history, with bulbs exchanging hands for four-figure sums during the Middle Ages.

William and Mary at Hampton Court Palace had special delft vases to display individual stems. There is a colour and height to please every taste and again, they work well with perennials. Striking combinations can be created with blacks and dark purples against the paler pinks, peaches and whites.

Soon it will be time to plant summer bulbs, which are often forgotten. They work in the same way as spring varieties with perennials and form a valuable contribution between flowering times of surrounding plants. Allium ‘Globemaster’ will liven up the rose border before the roses come into flower. Lilium varieties – our favourite is the white Lilium regale or royal lily with its fabulous scent – will bloom mid-summer after the earlier flowers have finished. Then there are Gladioli for cut flowers.

The wonderful thing about bulbs is once you plant them they provide you with colour for years to come – a great investment!

March 6-13 you can find us at the Habitat Jardin exhibition at Beaulieu in Lausanne, stand 28, hall 28. We always like to meet our readers, so if you have any questions or have time to say hello, please pop by.

After a generally good October, November has brought true autumnal weather with much needed rain. The colours in the vineyards and forests have been wonderful, replicated in the garden in a rich tapestry of colour. It is important when choosing shrubs, trees and climbers for the garden to also think about autumn colour and fruits.

Striking fruit varieties include the hips of roses, for example rugosa and galica. Small trees such as malus will provide ornamental crab apples for now. An added advantage is that you can make crab apple jelly.

Another shrub that produces attractive seasonal fruit is callicarpa bodinieri. A fairly bland species for much of the year, it earns its place with its vivid purple berries – almost to the point of appearing artificial, now and through the winter.

Meanwhile the symphiorcarpos , or snowberry, lives up to its name through the bearing of petite white fruit.

One of the principal players for autumn foliage colour is the acer family, with sizes for every garden, from the low spreading dissectum varieties, such a garnet and greenlace, to the medium sized acer palmatum ‘bloodgood’ and the larger sugar maples. They are not difficult to grow so long as you plant them out of the wind.

Other good red foliage is provided by enkianthus, euonymous elatus and rhus typhina. Butter yellows come from the robinias, populus and betula species, or tulip trees. The Indian lilacs, lagerstroemia indica, is a useful yet perhaps unfamiliar small tree, which will give a delightful show of flowers in late summer, followed by wonderful autumn colour as we speak. ¨

One of the lesser known hydrandeas is the oak leaf hydrangea, with a leaf like that of its moniker. Expect pendula white flowers in summer and sumptuous autumn foliage in November. This species also thrives in semi-shade.

Grasses still provide good value, for example, the miscanthus, stipa and pennisetum varieties, and while technically the foliage has died back, they will continue to exhibit good form throughout the winter months. The faithful old pampas must not be overlooked, its glorious cream plumes giving pleasure for many weeks to come.

Autumn colour forms a link between the summer borders and the winter flowering plants, hence its importance. For December, we will explore how, at the lowest point of the year, your garden can still be attractive.

Well, what a glorious summer we have had, which has persisted into a mellow early autumn. Despite the lack of rain the gardens are still looking lovely with late flowering perennials thriving in the Indian summer. A sunny autumn highlights the need for colour to persist in the garden, and this can be easily incorporated into borders.

One of the main players in the autumn border are grasses. These provide hue, form and structure and will continue their roles right through the winter months. Good varieties are Miscanthus sinensis hybrids, Pennisetum alpecuoides, Stipa tenuifolia and Cortadeira selloana. Grasses associate well with most perennials, but for colour, work them in with Aster, Anemone x hupehensis, Sedums and Heleniums.

Dahlias are great value as well right now. At Château Vullierens we planted a 100 metre plot of Dahlias this year, which has provided colour since July and will continue until the first frosts set in. Sub-shrubs such as Fuchsias and Caryopteris clandonensis are also excellent value and are hardy to 600m. Caryopteris lends lovely spots of blue for the garden and there is a wide range of hardy Fuchsias available.

Brighter shades seem to work better in autumn than in summer with the orange of Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’ somehow combining with the pink Sedums, lavander of the Asters and the softer light. Some flowers from early summer flowering will give your a second helping now, for example the repeat flowering Iris, which have flowered very well this year from late August.

Plants such as Gerenium ‘Johnson’s Blue’, if cut back after their first flowering in May will stage a further display into October. A traditional, but by no means a plant that should be neglected for now, is the Chrysanthemum. We always like the bright yellow, which adds a real burst of clear colour.

For dramatic effect, employ cascading Chrysanthemums over a wall or from a window box to brighten up those last days of sunshine. Plants that have served us well during the summer, however, can make their second entrance now with hips and berries, for example, the rugosa roses, crab apples and Viburnum opulus.

Last, but certainly no least, is of foliage colour beginning now, with the dramatic reds of the Rhus and Acers mixed with the rusts and yellows of the trees and shrubs in our borders.

Autumn, therefore, is not the end of the garden, but a new chapter to be enjoyed as with the last of the sun’s gentle warmth.

One aspect which marks English gardens is their herbaceous borders. Generally speaking, the flowering period extends from June to the end of September, but by adding structure and plants for early and later interest, such a winter heather, colour can be created all year round. This is especially important for smaller gardens. Herbaceous borders can also be geared towards Autumn colour, as we have done at Château Vullierens, for when we open during September.

The secret of good perennial planting, is choice of colour, texture, structure and a careful consideration of heights. A good test to see if a border is working is to take a black and white photograph, if it looks good then, it will often be even better in reality. If the border is of a adequate length, colours can flow from the cool whites and blues, through purples and pinks to hot yellows, oranges and reds before reversing the sequence and ending with the cooler shades. Starting from the back of the border, tall plants such a hollyhocks, lavatera, euphorbia charachias, the glorious delphiniums, anemonexhybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’, campanula lactiflora and grasses such as miscanthus sinensis provide height and structure. For central levels, lupins, hemerocallis, rudbeckia, sedum, salvia suberba, papava orientale, perovskia ‘blue spire’, astilbes, iris and asters work extremely well. 

For border fronts groups of lavander, stachys byzantina, heuchera varieties and buxus balls provide structure. Good spot plants to lend variation in height include gypsophila paniculata and grasses such a pennisetum alopecuoides. With thoughtful placement, continual colour can be maintained for longer periods, for example, plant Japanese anemones in front of paeonia lactiflora and sedum ‘Autumn glory’ in front of iris. At Vullierens, however, we have a collection of repeat flowering iris, one of the reasons why we are opening the gardens for the first time in September.

Herbaceous planting is well suited to the Swiss climate and will generally grow well at altitude – we have created herbaceous borders in Verbier at 1,500 metres. Another myth is that they require high maintenance. For the first year this maybe the case, but once established a twice-a-year tidy-up is sufficient. So if you want a spectacle of colour all summer get planting!

Next month we will discuss late Summer/autumn colour.

July is perhaps one of the most colourful months in the garden. The star of the month, however, has to be the rose. Nowadays, we have a huge range of varieties to choose from, with inbred disease resistance, a long flowering season and often with a good scent. One can choose from the older style roses which are often multi-petaled, to the classic rose shape in a simple single flower.

A superb range, a selection of which we have planted in the scented garden of Château Vullierens is the English roses originally bred by David Austen. These roses are repeat flowering, have a good scent, knock-out perfume and are disease resistant. Good varieties include Gertrude Jekyl, Cottage Rose, Mary Rose, Othello, Jude the Obscure, Graham Thomal and Evelyn.

This month we have also planted 200 modern hybrid tea roses in a geometric pattern for cutting for the house. The problem is they are looking so good that no one is going to want to cut them.

We chose varieties such as Orient Express and Milky Way which do not need spraying every 5 minutes, as naturally we like to be as organic as possible in the garden.

Although not usually scented, on easy range of roses are the polyanthers, the leading lady of which must be The Fairy. She will flower from June until the first frost with hardly any care baring clusters of pale pink flowers on healthy foliage.

Groundcover roses are another useful group, at the Château the kinetic garden creates waves of colour on these undemanding bushes. Then there are the climbing and rambling roses which can be used to give vertical height to the garden.

Ramblers, such as Kiftsgate, Wedding Day and Bobbie James, can be used where there is a large area to cover such as a pergola or to climb through a tree. Less vigorous climbing roses are often repeat flowering and can be used any place where you have a vertical surface. Our favourites are Compassion, Eden Rose and New Dawn.

While on the subject of climbers, perfect partners for roses are the hybrid Clematis. These are easy to grow, providing your follow the rule of head in the sun, feet in the shade. Roses work well with other plants. Lavender is a traditional and very compatible partner. It also has the advantage of being evergreen and hiding the bases of the roses. Alliums now in seed stage, planted amongst the bushes will give you early colour as will tulips.

Other good perennials include Alchemilla mollis, Astrantia major, Nepetaxfaassenii and Stachys ‘Silver Carpet’, but now we are entering the wonderful world of the herbaceous border which we shall save for August, when we will discuss perennials for all sizes of gardens.

As Director of Gardens at Châteaau de Vullierens, Rachel and I are spearheading the new changes of the gardens. The Château has been famous for its cultivation of iris since 1954, but the present owner, Mr Robert Bovet wished the garden to provide added areas of interest to the vistors and to prolong the flowering season.

The Château has a perfect geographical location 10 minutes north of Morges with a fantastic view of the Mont Blanc with a domain of 100 hectares to play with – our task is to make Vullierens one of the best gardens in Switzerland. In the last 2 years, therefore, we have worked with a team at the Château to bring old areas of the garden to life while creating new ones.  In 1785 the cavaliers avenue was planted which comprises a 400 metre long avenue of trees leading to woodland walk. The central feature is a beautiful natural pond.  

Over the years, this area had become overgrown, but now it has become one of the most loved areas of the garden with its tranquil atmosphere and local wildlife. Under the trees we have planted 6,000 bluebells, so we look forward to a carpet of blue before long.

In front of the Château is another pond whose edges are now planted with moisture loving plants to create a water garden. These plants have been chosen to provide interest throughout the summer and autumn. There are giant rhubards, Gunnera manicata, candelarbra primulas, astilbes, ligularias, grasses, hosta and naturally moisture loving iris. The picture is completed here by the end of the pond being traversed by an ancient stone bridge.

Roses are a plant which thrive in Switzerland. We have many beautiful examples already in place here, but up to now we have added in to new areas, one a bed of old roses chosen for their scent and a second area of modern ground cover roses. The modern roses are planted in a kinetic design, which viewed from above gives the feeling that the colours are flowing from dark to light hues. Plans are now being made to make a further area of roses for next year.

Other areas of interest in the garden include the iris collection, the scented area, linking into the water garden, a charming stream is bordered on either side by scented shrubs such a Choisya and Philadelphus, scented roses and honeysuckle. There is also a paeonia collection and for the autumn – a 100 metre border of dahlias. New also for this year are the autumn borders which will be at their best when these particular gardens open for two weeks in September.

The gardens are now open until the end of june. www.jardindesiris.ch. Apart from the gardens we also have a great boutique, art gallery and tea-room (now serving scones in the afternoon!). 

Next month we will talk about plants that grow reallly well here in Switzerland.