Outdoor plant list, Monkstown, April 2024

Ever-increasing daylight means that spring is finally making its presence felt. January to March can be pretty dreary months here. There's no end of chilly, wet days where dripping moss, tree trunks and berries are the highlights: often very beautiful, but subtle too and only appreciabale when you're in an unspoilt place.

We passed the spring equinox in late March. Theoretically, at least in Irealnd, Spring starts in February, but really that's just a tiny taster and is somewhat disappointing. As far as we're concerned, it's the arrival of leaves on trees, starting in early April, that heralds a prettier and more bearable version of the world. The grass finally regains its pure green shades - having been yellow or brown for months - while litter and street signs recede into the background now that they are no longer the primary source of strong colours.

We have had many fresh plants delivered from some of our favourite nurseries. We have plenty of perennials in smaller, lower-priced sizes such as the much-loved Erigeron karvinskianus, Verbena bonariensis, Dicksonia antarctica, Gallium odoratum and many more. Stop by to see for yourself, or enquire if you want one of our larger plants deliverd to you (Dublin area only).