NG Four January/February 2020

WINTER GARDEN
bling
When the flowers have faded, the
autumn leaves have blown away
and stems turned brown, the garden
can look a dreary place; on hold and
waiting for spring to awaken it. But there
is plenty of sparkle and colour to be had as winter
takes hold. Walking round my garden last winter I
found so much to take my eye and delight me.
The fi rst eye-catcher is a big splash of colour from
the stems or berries of a tree or shrub. The fl owering
dogwoods (Cornus alba) are blazing with colour
from their bare stems. My favourites include the
orange “Midwinter Fire”, the deep red “Sibirica”
and even the black “Kesselringii” which looks
stunning with the wan winter sun shining through.
The snakebark maples are spreading their intricately
patterned branches against the winter sky with
red twigs and olive-green and cream trunks.
“George Forrest” has the best coloured twigs and
“Serpentine” the best trunk pattern. The trunks of
Himalayan birch (Betula jackmontii) is white like
bleached bones against the shadows. Another
favourite is the trunk of the Tibetan cherry (Prunus
serrula) whose dark red bark looks polished to mirror
fi nish and is fi lled with swirling patterns of colour.
Shrubs and trees are still covered with berries.
My favourite of all is holly with all its Christmas
associations and memories. The redwings will soon
fl y in from Scandinavia and strip the trees of this
winter feast. The fi rethorns (Pyracantha) are living
up to their name: the yellow-berried ones haven’t
been stripped yet and the stems of Cotoneaster
horizontalis are fi rmly vertical, splayed out against a
fence and studded with small red berries.
Evergreen shrubs and plants add some colour
through the winter, particularly the showy Heucheras
like “Caramel”, “Blackberry Jam” or “Geisha Fan”.
On a frosty morning the leaves are coated and
edged with ice and look like candied fruits.
Frost, ice and dew make the garden sparkle. Frozen
droplets hang, suspended from the wheaten seed
heads of giant oats (Stipa gigantea) and glisten
on the heads of feather grasses (Miscanthus and
Calamagrostis), shining brightly in the low sun.
Evergreen spurges (Euphorbia) become sprinkled
with a diamond-dust of dew and ice and this
will cause them to bow their heads as it melts,
recovering their pose when the weather warms up.
The crinkly leaves of the sun roses (Cistus) are edged
with frost and even the watering can and rabbit-wire
fences are transformed into sculptural shapes by the
frost.
The dead-stems of herbaceous plants are dusted with
frost and seemingly shining in the light. My favourites
are Turkish sage (Phlomis russeliana) with pepper pot
seed heads; sea holly (Eryngium) draped with silver
strings of frosted spider web; and the dead-heads
of conefl owers (Rudbeckia) like silver-edged spears
pointing to the sky.
Winter may seem long and cold, but there’s always
some bling to brighten the short days.
Janet & I run Special Perennials, our website
www.specialperennials.com. We sell at Plant Hunters’ Fairs
throughout the season. Please see www.planthuntersfairs.
co.uk
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 2020 We will be at the Plant
Hunters’ Fairs at Carsington Water DE6 1ST on Saturday
14th March, Free Entry to Plant Fair; 1620’s House and
Garden, Nr. Coalville LE67 2FW on Sunday 22nd March,
Entry to Garden & Plant Fair £1; Patchings
Art Centre, Calverton NG14 6NU on
Saturday 28th March, , Free Entry to Plant Fair with
22 top nurseries & artisans attending; The National
Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas DE13 7AR on Sunday 29th
March, Free entry to Plant Fair & Arboretum. We are happy
to bring orders to plant fairs for you to collect.
Martin Blow