Well what a few weeks of stunning spring weather we have had here in the United Kingdom. The blossom and flowering shrubs are looking spectacular, untouched by frosts or rain. Fingers crossed, we should have a good crop of pears and cherries this year as it has been warm and sunny and the bees have been flying.
I have really been spoilt for choice this week with so much coming into bloom but I have decided to concentrate on the blossom and flowering shrubs.
Viburnum carlesii
This shrub is certainly the star when it comes to fragrance at the moment. Its large round heads of flowers have a wonderful scent that just hangs in the air. This mature shrub is around 7-8 feet in height now and is situated nicely by the path where we walk regularly from the house to the garden. A perfect position.
Malus
I am not sure of the variety of this red leaved crab apple but it is performing extremely well this year. We planted this small flowering tree in memory of our much loved German Shepherd ‘Fern’ and it brings her back into mind when it flowers each year. It has sumptuous rich red flowers that contrast well with the white blossom of the wild cherry tree behind.
Cytisus (Broom)
This white broom is one of a number out in flower at the moment. It is probably the Cytisus x praecox Albus but the label is now long gone. For us this white flowered variety has a much more pleasant scent than the yellow varieties which can be a bit of an acquired taste.
Broom can tolerate quite poor soil and as a member of the pea family will also fix its own nitrogen. Its green stems allow it to continue to photosynthesize during the winter months if the weather is mild.
Pear
We have three pear trees around the garden, a Doyenné du Comice, a Conference pear and an interesting cooking pear called Winter Nellis (excellent for Delia’s Spiced Pickled Pears at Christmas). Along with the Cherry blossom the pears really bring the orchard to life. The earliest orchard tree to bloom is the apricot followed by the plums, cherries and pears. Very soon the orchard will shift from white to pink as the quince and apple blossom emerge.
Spirea arguta
A couple of weeks ago I was praising the rich bronze foliage of a very different Spirea, Spirea japonica. This week it is the turn of Spirea arguta. This is a very reliable and easy maintence shrub that grows to about 5 feet in our garden. At this time of year it is covered with small white flowers that make it look as if it has a dusting of snow. In a week or two there will be a nice succession as S.arguta is replaced by S. nipponica.
Cherry
Last but not least I must highlight the blossom of the sweet eating cherries in the orchard. I love these trees although to be fair the birds do seem to get far more of the large ripe cherries than I do. Perhaps this year will be my year!
The Six on Saturday meme is hosted by The Propagator. Click on the link to be inspired by what other plant lovers are enjoying this weekend.
We are out in the garden ... 
Lovely to see all your blossom in the orchard! And interesting what you say about the white-flowered broom. Thanks for sharing your six!
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The spirea arguta is really a success here too. Mine grows more and more from year to year and I have to prune it after each flowering to contain it. (and it’s time to do it soon, the last flowers are starting to fall these days)
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I have inspected my lone fruit tree (Victoria plum). the blossom is long gone, but I do see numerous teeny pre-fruit thingies you could convince me might become plums. fingers crossed we don’t get any hard frosts the next few weeks..
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