Surrey Homes | SH60 | October 2019 | Kitchen & Bathroom supplement inside

tend to have dark green leaves, as they need to pack them with
chlorophyll in order to make the most of any available light. Along
with light, or the lack of it, comes the availability of water. Plants
from arid situations have evolved methods of conserving water. Leaves
reduce into needles in order to reduce the transpiration rate, or as in
the case of succulents, they plump up to become water storage units.
In damp shade, the quest is to get rid of water, so leaves tend to be
bigger to encourage water to evaporate from a larger surface area.
Woodland plants have evolved to fit in with the seasons, seizing
literal ‘windows’ of opportunity before leaves appear on the trees.
They flower in a rush in spring and then most disappear, or become
dormant once the dense, light-blocking canopy of leaves closes in.
Opportunists, such as snowdrops and winter aconites, even start
flowering in the winter to get ahead of the game.
Autumn planting
Early autumn is the time to be tidying up, preparing and planting
up new borders. The soil is still warm, it’s likely to rain (and save you
from endless watering) and new plants will get a chance to settle in
before too many demands are made on them. Working outside helps
us to make the most of the available daylight too. It is mood lifting –
not due just to the benefits of outdoor exercise, but to being close to
the soil, the plants, creatures and the ever changing face of nature.
Contact Jo on 01233 861149
hornbrookmanor.co.uk for details of courses and workshops
Mix It Up
Jo’s ultimate shade lovers
and sun worshippers
Plants for shade
Skimmia japonica ‘Kew Green’ – glossy,
leathery leaves and long-lasting pale
green buds that form in the winter
and open in spring. It is scented.
Euonymous fortunii ‘Silver Queen’,
‘Emerald Gaiety’ – slow growing evergreen
shrubs with pretty variegated leaves that will
light up a gloomy corner in the garden.
Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’ – leaves are etched with
white veining and it has dainty, forget-menot-style
flowers in spring. A pretty plant.
Tiarella ‘Spring symphony’ – another dainty
plant with leaves that look a little like a
heuchera and tiny flower spires in shades of
white and pink.
Hellebores – tough evergreen leaves, adapted
for dry, shady conditions. They flower
early to make the most of available light.
Epimediums – great ground cover
plants for shady situations, especially
spreading out under trees, where
nothing much else will grow.
Plants for sun
Sedum spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’ –
succulent-type leaves. Its flowers are packed
full of nectar to attract butterflies and bees.
Phlomis russelliana – grey sage type
leaves with whorls of pale yellow flowers
that fade into stiff silhouettes in autumn
and winter. It clumps up quite quickly,
so will need space to romp…
Iris (bearded) – good strappy leaves, likes
to bake in the sun in order to flower well.
Stachys – soft felty leaves like ‘lamb’s ears’
and spires of woolly, pale pink/mauve flowers.
Cistus (Rock Rose) – evergreen flowering
in June/July with saucer shaped flowers
in shades of red, pink and white.
Top: Light shines through translucent leaves and petals
Above: A shade loving, leafy scheme
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