Looking into the garden as I write I can see that it is a delicate site, filled with miniature daffodils, clouds of spotted pulmonaria topped with blue, pale primroses and the beginnings of the perennials just starting to push up their shoots.

Then I spot the euphorbias, big and bold, with tough evergreen leaves and vibrant lime flowers. They are far from delicate looking but what a contrast to the rest of the garden and they have been there all year, the stems made last summer slowly maturing and developing in the cold.

The best for flowers at the moment in our garden are Humpty Dumpty, with soft mid green leaves and pale lime flowers, E.xmartinii, with darker foliage and red centred flowers, and E.wulfenii, with bluish foliage and long flowerheads. A mature specimen of this latter plant can be magnificent, especially when grown in a sunny spot by a warm wall. It will fill a large space and grow as much as 1.5m/5ft tall in the right conditions. Ours doesn't look so good since there is only one flowerhead. However, even this was a surprise since I thought it had been lost a couple of years ago. The new shoots appearing at the base of the plant will carry blooms next spring, so there should be a better show in 12 months.

Another good evergreen euphorbia is E. amydaloides Rubra, with attractive dark foliage and dark red stems that give a startling contrast to the green flowers. I have not found this to be strong grower, unlike the parent plant Euphorbia amygdaloides robbiae but, nevertheless, the colour makes it a welcome addition to the garden. It needs some moisture in summer as mildew can be a problem.

Not all euphorbias are evergreen and it is in March and April that the herbaceous species begin to appear in the garden. Euphorbia griffithii pushes up fat red shoots in spring, that develop into a mass of stems and leaves by the summer topped with flowers. We have Fireglow which has red stems and red ribbed leaves and brickish red blooms, and Dixter, which is similar but with copper and apricot colouring. Like most euphorbias these are easy to grow but, unlike the rest of the family, the griffithiis must have moist soil. Spreading underground stems can make them invasive, but the shoots are easy to spot and can be pulled up in early spring where they are not needed.

A more delicate, but equally attractive, species is Euphorbia virgata with thin stems, delicate finely cut foliage and yellow flowers that grow into an elegant clump in sun or shade and most soils. However, like E.griffithii, this species can be invasive and needs to be kept in check.

Flower Show And Plant Sale

The Ancient Society of York Florists will open the 2007 season with their Spring Flower Show at Askham Bryan College tomorrow. Members of the Daffodil Society, the Wakefield And North of England Society, the National Auricula And Primula Society and the British Cactus And Succulent Society will be showing their best exhibits.

There will also be floral art, handicraft and baking shows.

The show runs from 11am to 3.30pm, admission £1.

In conjunction with the flower show, Askham Bryan College will be holding a spring plant sale with a wide range of plants available. Admission to the plant sale is free.

There is plenty of parking at the college and visitors will also be able to look around the college grounds.

Open gardens: In aid of National Gardens Scheme

Tomorrow

130 Prince Rupert Drive, Tockwith, off the B1224 York-Wetherby road.

Half-acre garden planted for year round interest from early bulbs, cyclamen and hellebores through to late autumn perennials and grasses all planted among the large collection of ferns. There are also rock and bog gardens, glasshouses and shade house, vegetables, fruit and small nursery. Open 1pm to 5pm. Admission £2.50 adult. Accompanied children free.

Wednesday, April 18

Londesborough Cross, Shiptonthorpe, off the A1079 York-Hull road.

Former railway goods yard transformed into a garden with large borders, bog and scree gardens, pergola and arches planted with clematis and hostas.

There is also a woodland garden with a large collection of ferns and shade lovers such as meconopsis and trillium.

Open 1pm to 4pm. Admission £3 adult. Accompanied children free.

Garden talk

Head gardener Sue Hoy will give a talk about Normanby Hall Park and Gardens, on Tuesday, at Askham Bryan College.

Organised by Askham Bryan College (ABC) Gardening Club the talk will start at 7.30pm in the Conference Hall.

Tickets at the door are free to ABC Gardening Club members and £5 for non-members.

The ABC Gardening Club AGM will be held on Tuesday, May 15, at which BBC weatherman Paul Hudson will give a talk on climate change and weather forecasting.

The evening will start at 7.30pm in the Conference Hall at the college and admission is by advance ticket only.

These are free to ABC Gardening Club members and £7.50 for non-members and are available from the chairman, phone 01904 795059.

Weekend catch-up

There is plenty to do in the garden in April. Plants are growing very quickly with new shoots and stems seeming to appear overnight.

It is time to trim back shrubby perennials like lavender and penstemon, which will get too woody and leggy if left unchecked.

These plants are usually hardy through the winter as long as they aren't left in wet soil, but it is a good idea to keep old stems on them through the colder months to act as protection from frost.

Lavender can be pruned hard back each year but never into old wood. The cut should always be made just in front of a healthy new shoot. I trim penstemons in the same way even if they have remained evergreen through the winter.

The pruning may delay the blooming, but it keeps the plants compact and encourages many new flowering stems.