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| Go greener |
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| With a growing number of gardeners eschewing chemicals in favour of natural alternatives, we can suggest some effective products from our organic gardening selection |
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| Relax and refresh |
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| Good food freshly prepared daily, aromatic coffee, chilled wine and a grassy play area for the children. What more could you need? |
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| Food heaven |
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| Our Farm Shop is heaven for food lovers! Delicious handmade food, top quality groceries, fresh fruit and vegetables and stylish cookware and gifts. |
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| The Discovery Walk |
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| As thousands of daffodils herald the spring, stroll or stride around our Walk while the youngsters enjoy the Nature Trail |
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Shrubs with winter colour – and scent
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| Thursday, 7th February 2008 |
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IN THE GARDEN WITH PETA MARSHALL
Most people have plenty of summer-flowering shrubs, but they steadfastly ignore the garden in winter. It is in winter when we desperately need a bit of colour in our lives.
When I sat down to make a list of all the shrubs that are at their prettiest in winter, I realised that there are actually masses of them. Hundreds in fact and, to my mind, they are the unsung heroes of the garden.
There are flowers in nearly every colour (except true blue), which means that we can, if we so desire, fill our winter gardens with a really warming range of hues.
But colour isn’t the only thing that sets our senses tingling when it comes to winter flowers. In many cases we can combine colour with a delicious fragrance, which effectively doubles our enjoyment of them.
Botanists reckon the reason why fragrance is so important at this time of year is that there are few flying, pollinating insects around. And so the plants can attract the few that there are, they have evolved strong fragrances as an attraction.
Add this to the fact that many of the most highly scented winter flowers are actually quite small, and the botanists may have a point.
So, which are the main decorative winter shrubs that I shall now aim to grow in my garden? Here is my top 10 list:
Abeliophyllum distichum This is a really beautiful shrub from the Far East. As its leaves fall in autumn the stems are already covered with tiny purple buds. They spring into life in mid-winter, with blooms that are creamy white tinged with pink. Flower arrangers like them, as cut stems last well in water.
Chimonanthus praecox (winter sweet) The pale yellow flowers along the branches of this shrub, when seen from a distance, are quite inconspicuous. But when you approach the plant, especially on a still day, the powerful scent that hits you can knock your socks off. Of all the scented winter shrubs, this is my favourite.
Daphne These shrubs, although poisonous, are fabulous garden plants and you should not be deterred from growing them (there are many poisonous plants all around us all the time). Daphne mezereum (known as mesereon) is a small, upright shrub, producing deliciously fragrant, star-shaped mauve-pink flowers in dense clusters on leafless stems, from mid-winter onwards. D. odora is slightly bigger – and an evergreen – with purple-pink flowers that last well into spring. With a name like odora, you would expect the flowers to have an odour, and they do, and its fabulous!
Erica (heath or heather) The majority of heathers require an acidic soil, but if your soil is more chalky you are, fortunately, able to grow some of the winter-blooming types. Most are forms of Erica carnea, and of the many types available I favour: ‘King George’, dark green leaves accompanied by deep pink flowers from December through to April; ‘Pink Spangles’’ reddish purple flowers appearing as early as the beginning of November; ‘Ruby Glow’, pale mauve flowers ageing to reddish purple, and are carried from late January onwards; and ‘Springwood White’, dark green leaves and brilliant white flowers from February onwards.
Garrya elliptica (tassel bush) This is grown for its attractive catkins. Male and female flowers are carried on separate plants. It flowers best in full sun, and when given the protection of a wall to grow against (although it is not a climber). The catkins of the male plants are long and slender and silvery green; they can sometimes be so numerous as to practically cover the whole plant.
Hamamelis (witch hazel) These plants can produce absolute bursts of sunshine in a winter garden. They carry spidery flowers on naked branches. Sometimes the flowers are scented and sometimes they’re not. Sometimes the branches are smothered in blooms, and sometimes they’re sparse. Sometimes, also, witch hazels can be fussy blighters, and often take years to settle in a new home. But boy, when they’re good they’re very, very good. Look for ‘Pallida’ (pale lemon flowers), ‘Brevipetala’ (deep golden yellow to bright orange) and ‘Jelena’ (coppery bronze).
Jasminum nudiflorum (winter jasmine) Ironically, this is a winter flower – and a jasmine at that – with no discernible scent. But the braches can be smothered in bright yellow blooms for a long period throughout winter. It needs a wall to lean against (it is not a true climber).
Mahonia This is a group of hardy evergreen shrubs grown for their spikes of bright yellow winter flowers. Once established, they can generally be left alone. Look for Mahonia bealei with lemon yellow spikes, and, even better, the variety ‘Charity’ with deep yellow flowers that actually start in late autumn.
Sarcococca This is a small, slow-growing evergreen shrub grown mainly for its highly scented white blooms. It is very good for shade. Go for Sarcococca confusa (also known as Christmas box) with creamy blooms in late winter, and S. humilis, which will sucker and form a dense thicket – good for weed-preventing ground cover.
Viburnum This huge shrub family has a handful of excellent winter-flowering forms. Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’ has delicately scented blooms of deep pink, lasting almost into spring. V. farreri carries masses of clusters of pink buds opening to white flowerheads; and V. tinus is an evergreen that can carry whitish pink flowerheads throughout much of winter, partly in spring, sometimes in summer and quite often in autumn.
Try a bit of colour in your winter garden – and you could end up with plenty of fragrance as well!
Incidentally, we have a great new website that has just ‘gone live’! It’s packed full of information and essential seasonal tips and will include all our articles from The Guide articles. Happy gardening!
This week in your garden
Winter gusts will bring down young trees (including fruit trees), so make sure tree ties and stakes are secure.
If you store any crops over winter, such as potatoes or carrots, then check them over occasionally. Remove any rotting ones. You can’t miss potatoes infected with blight – they stink like nothing else!
There is no better time than now for giving your garden tools and machinery the once-over. Spades, forks, shears, rakes and hoes could all do with a wipe. Get the worst of any dirt off with warm, soapy water, and then dry them.
Peta Marshall is the plant centre manager at Priory Farm in Nutfield. Visit the new-look website: www.prioryfarm.co.uk
NEXT WEEK: Feeding birds
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