Catch them while you can. These five plants are looking their best in London at this time of year
Wisteria
Where would we be without wisteria? Its scent hangs in the air and is like no other plant I know. Providing its tendrils are well pruned after flowering and again in early spring, established plants will produce masses of hanging purple-white flowers this month and into the start of May, depending on the weather.
Look out for Wisteria floribunda, which boasts the longest flowering racemes. With some effort wisteria can be trained to stand like a tree, but it prefers a framework to grow around.
Ceanothus
Ceanothus flowers have always reminded me of something from a packet of liquorice allsorts. Tightly packed clusters of blue scented flowers are loved by bees, and the plant remains evergreen all year round.
Commonly known as Californian lilac, the plants surged in popularity before the millennium, but have fallen out of favour. They are suited to the London climate and are an excellent pollinator.
Cercis siliquastrum
Also known as the Judas tree or the love tree. Remarkable at this time of year for the magenta, pea-like flowers it produces. Cercis can flower from old bark, with whole branches shrouded in pink.
Cydonia oblonga
The spring flowers and foliage of the quince tree (Cydonia oblonga) might just be my favourite. The quince shares its heritage with the rose family, which also produces pear and apples, and that is no clearer than when the quince is about to flower.
Each flower begins as cones with swirls of pink and white, and reminds me of the strawberry flavoured Campino sweets of my childhood. To top the flowers, the leaves, like the fruit, are covered in fine hairs like velvet, giving the trees a jaunty appearance.
Stachyurus
In April, it has custard yellow flowers that appear to drip from the branches just before it bursts into leaf again. You’ll need more than a courtyard.
On the plus side, it’s tolerant of shade, which makes it useful for many London gardens. It prefers a slightly moist soil.
