WHAT IS IN FLOWER NOW....................
It has been wet and mild for weeks and the garden is ahead of itself for the time of year. I am waiting for the big freeze which will probably happen in about 3 weeks time and which will knock everything back by about a month. That being so, here is what we have in flower now; a useful guide if you are looking at what to plant to give you colour early in the year:
Winter flowering jasmine - just about finished now. Lovely yellow flowers on stems without leaves (leaves start developing after the flowers fade, hence its Latin name Jasmine nudiflorum). Prune it once the flowers have faded as next year's flowers develop on this year's growth.
Iris Ungularicus - lovely little purple-blue irises which love a sunny position at the foot of a wall. This year they are flowering their hearts out. If you must divide and re-plant them, do so shortly after they have flowered (as the soil is beginning to warm up). I normally cut the leaves back in the early autumn, before the flower spears have started to grow.
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Snowdrops- brilliant at naturalising in slightly shady places with rich soil. Divide every few years when the clumps become congested. This is best done once the flowers have faded, but while the plants still have all of their leaves (i.e. they are 'in the green'). Snowdrops are best when initially planted in the green as well - so this is probably the last chance to order some from a nurseryman until next January.
Bergenia Cordifolia - I think this is flowering very early this year. It thrives on clay soils. To increase your collection divide it in the spring.
Winter flowering honeysuckles - not a climber but a leggy shrub which has very fragrant white-ish flowers along the length of its stem before the leaves appear. I think we have Lonicera Frangrantissima, but it may be L Purpusii. Our plants were propagated by hardwood cuttings (taken in the winter) from a plant belonging to my friend Heather.
Hellebores - Christmas Roses, Foetid Hellebores and Oriental Hellebores. The trouble is the ground is so wet I cannot get onto the borders to cut last year's leaves off my Oriental Hellebores. You do this for a couple of reasons. To display the flowers better and to get rid of any leaves diseased with Hellebore leaf spot. Burn the pruned leaves to make sure you do not spread the leaf spot.
The very first daffodils - which are in pots in sunny corners of the garden. After a few years in pots we set them free somewhere in the garden. Here is an escapee.....
Rosemary - my bees love it. For something which I associate with hot French summers and roast lamb, it always amazes me that it flowers in the colder months of the year. Look at the photo below and dream of summertime.........................
Winter flowering jasmine - just about finished now. Lovely yellow flowers on stems without leaves (leaves start developing after the flowers fade, hence its Latin name Jasmine nudiflorum). Prune it once the flowers have faded as next year's flowers develop on this year's growth.
Iris Ungularicus - lovely little purple-blue irises which love a sunny position at the foot of a wall. This year they are flowering their hearts out. If you must divide and re-plant them, do so shortly after they have flowered (as the soil is beginning to warm up). I normally cut the leaves back in the early autumn, before the flower spears have started to grow.
.jpg)
Snowdrops- brilliant at naturalising in slightly shady places with rich soil. Divide every few years when the clumps become congested. This is best done once the flowers have faded, but while the plants still have all of their leaves (i.e. they are 'in the green'). Snowdrops are best when initially planted in the green as well - so this is probably the last chance to order some from a nurseryman until next January.
Bergenia Cordifolia - I think this is flowering very early this year. It thrives on clay soils. To increase your collection divide it in the spring.
Winter flowering honeysuckles - not a climber but a leggy shrub which has very fragrant white-ish flowers along the length of its stem before the leaves appear. I think we have Lonicera Frangrantissima, but it may be L Purpusii. Our plants were propagated by hardwood cuttings (taken in the winter) from a plant belonging to my friend Heather.
Hellebores - Christmas Roses, Foetid Hellebores and Oriental Hellebores. The trouble is the ground is so wet I cannot get onto the borders to cut last year's leaves off my Oriental Hellebores. You do this for a couple of reasons. To display the flowers better and to get rid of any leaves diseased with Hellebore leaf spot. Burn the pruned leaves to make sure you do not spread the leaf spot.
The very first daffodils - which are in pots in sunny corners of the garden. After a few years in pots we set them free somewhere in the garden. Here is an escapee.....
Rosemary - my bees love it. For something which I associate with hot French summers and roast lamb, it always amazes me that it flowers in the colder months of the year. Look at the photo below and dream of summertime.........................
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