Wealden Times | WT197 | July 2018 | Interiors supplement inside

Garden
Top: Hydrangea aspera subspecies. sargentiana Middle: Hosta
sieboldiana Bottom: Royal Fern
mentioning for its rather beautiful and large foliage is
Hydrangea quercifolia, the oak-leaved hydrangea. We
have one here but I’m not sure that it is in the right spot
as it is happiest kept moist and this one here is rather
too close to an old ash tree which sends its progeny all
over the garden and results in a pretty dry flower bed.
If you reduce the height of this hydrangea by a third in
early spring, the fresh leaves will be much bigger. This has
wonderful autumn colour, the leaves turning a ‘garnet red’.
And then there are the rodgersias. Grow them for
their spectacular foliage and for their flowers. We
have Rodgersia pinnata ‘Maurice Mason’ which was
originally given to Christopher Lloyd by Maurice
Mason, a Norfolk farmer and horticulturalist, and which
was thought so choice that it was given a name.
It’s more vigorous than some, although ours is taking a while
to come back up. There have been some anxious moments
when we thought that the plant hadn’t made it through such
a harsh winter, but three bronzy stems have now appeared
and a leaf is unfurling and is making its way upwards. This
cultivar has deeply serrated palmate leaves and lovely rich
pink panicles of flower which darken as the season goes on.
I also like the look of Rodgersia ‘Braunlaub’. Its huge
pinnate leaves darken to a rich chocolate brown combining
with panicles of creamy flowers and followed by strong
autumnal colours. How delicious that all sounds.
Grow rodgersias in shady, north‐facing borders where
they work well with hostas such as Hosta sieboldiana. Try
H. sieboldiana ‘Big Daddy’ which, as its name implies, is
a cultivar with large, very large, textured bluish leaves.
Someone recently told me that they always found it
difficult finding plants which will thrive in dry shade,
which seems to be everybody’s problem planting area. One
particular plant comes to mind which is perfect for these
conditions. Trachystemon orientalis comes from Eastern Europe
originally and its English name is ‘Abraham-Isaac-Jacob’.
It is a member of the Boraginaceae family and its borageblue,
rather enchanting flowers appear before the leaves
get into their stride. You can see sheets of it at Nymans.
We have it under three old holly trees. We’ve lifted their
canopies and the trachystemon has completely covered
the area underneath with its huge leaves. They are perhaps
a bit coarse, in fact not at all elegant, but they not only
serve a purpose but provide dramatic ground cover –
oh, and if you get bored with them, they’re edible...
Sue Whigham can be contacted on 07810 457948 for
gardening advice and help in the sourcing and supply of
interesting garden plants.
Help and advice
For all your gardening needs
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