Surrey Homes | SH17 | March 2016 | Fashion supplement inside

FreeImages.com/Anna Wolniak
Signs of spring
Jo Arnell is feeling cheery, as the days get longer
We have had a weirdly warm and wet winter so far
this year and this could also bring the spring in
early, which for an impatient gardener like me,
is a good thing. Whether this is beneficial for anyone else is
a debatable and confusing issue – and actually, even I’m not
ready for daffodils in December. Nature is ultimately adaptable,
however, winters are unpredictable, and there’s still time for a
big freeze to stop everything in its tracks. Whatever the weather
brings in the next few weeks, I’m always hopeful – watching
the ground closely for the first brave shoots to emerge.
Daring buds
Some plants are as impatient as me to get going. Carpets of
snowdrops have been out for a while, fearless in the face of the
worst weather. Winter aconites and crocuses are beginning to
appear in massed throngs beneath trees, and a few cheery hosts
of Narcissus ‘February Gold’, the earliest flowering daffodil,
are popping up. This early daffodil is just the right size too, not
overbearing and pompous like the giant King Alfred types, and
not too tiny for naturalising. Narcissi can be difficult in borders.
The leaves should be left on to help the bulb bulk up again for
next year but can look a floppy mess – or worse if you try to
tidy them by tying them in knots. The only exception is ‘Tetea-tete’
which looks perky at the front of the border, its leaves
small enough to be hidden behind emerging perennial foliage.
Late winter lovelies
Cherry blossom in winter? Surely not? I read somewhere that
by 2050 spring will be with us on Valentine’s Day, so romance
will blossom at the same time as the cherry trees. If you fancy
that idea now – I don’t know about you, but I doubt I’ll be
in the mood for much romance by 2050 – there’s always
Prunus subhirtella Autumnalis’; a small and delicate cherry
tree that flowers intermittently through the winter. Many of
the early blossoming shrubs have the added bonus of scent
too. Chimonanthus praecox (Winter Sweet), Viburnum
bodnantense and Lonicera ‘Winter Beauty’ (winter-flowering
honeysuckle) are three of the best. They aren’t the most beautiful
plants, so plant them where they can fade into the background,
but near enough for you to catch their exquisite fragrance.
Sarcococca confusa, or Christmas box, is low-growing and
shade tolerant so you can tuck it behind a more showy plant
and enjoy its fragrance without having to look at it. If you have
the space for a specimen, try a Witch Hazel – Hamamelis x
intermedia ‘Pallida’ has scented flowers that climb its bare
branches like little spiders. Many of these early performers
are suitable for growing in containers too. In fact, something
like a camellia may even prefer it, because it needs to grow in
acid soil. The great thing about a plant in a pot is that it can
be moved away from centre stage once it’s done its thing.
Then there are the bare-barked beauties – I love the white
winter bark of birches. Many acers, known more usually for
their gorgeous autumn foliage, can also look good naked. Acer
griseum has peeling cinnamon-coloured bark. The snake-bark
maple, A. davidii has bark like – you guessed it, – a woody sort
of snake. Another, A. ‘Sango-kaku,’ has gleaming coral-coloured
bark, pale lime green emerging foliage and golden autumn tints.
Then there are the dogwoods with brightly coloured bark on
the young stems. Try Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ or
Cornus alba by a pond, stream, or in a boggy part of the garden.
111 www.wealdentimes.co.uk