Grasses for winter and spring

We usually associate grasses with late summer borders and the prairie style of gardening so popular at the moment – in this situation big is most definitely best .

Some of the smaller varieties, however, display their best leaf colour in winter, truly coming into their own at this time of year. They are particularly useful in a shady spot or wooded area of the garden for lighting up a dark corner. .

Luzula .sylvatica “Aurea” has zingy yellow foliage in winter and I grow it alongside magenta Cyclamen Coum    - pink and yellow may not normally work but on a dreary February it certainly raises my spirits!  For a more traditional combination try it with clumps of Iris. reticulata “George” which has  rich purple flowers.

Acorus. gramineus  (Dwarf sweet flag) is a small ,grass like perennial  with slender, pointed evergreen leaves, it prefers a slighter damp soil  but is tolerant of a wide variety of situations.

A bright display of Acorus.g.“Ogon” outside the nursery potting shed, gave us all a boost during the last working days before Christmas. In the garden it contrasts well with deep red oriental hellebores or later with blue pulmonaria . The creamy white striped variety “Variegatus” would work well with clumps of snowdrops.   

 

These grasses look better in smaller clumps, repeated through the border, so divide regularly. By late spring their bright foliage will fade and become greener allowing them to step back out of the spotlight for another season..

Happy gardening in 2013 

The snowdrop for the gardener not the Galanthophile

The snowdrop for the gardener not the Galanthophile

Whether you know them as Snowdrops or Galanthus their beauty is no less. Would we cherish these, the gentlest of plants so much so if they were available all year? Or is their narrow window of flower the true attraction? Last year the highest price bid for a single bulb was £725! This could be viewed as true passion or sheer lunacy, either way you do not need to stretch to these lengths to genuinely appreciate these exquisite plants.
Amongst the hundreds of cultivars circling Galanthus collectors there are some beastly looking doubles, flirtatious hybrids where the petals flick outwards like a 1950’s ladies dress; and still my favourite the delicate single snowdrop, the green markings glancing up at you through its petals like a nervous lopped ear rabbit.

However for the majority of us, the modest gardener, we require the snowdrop to be part of our passion, our gardens, integrated in with other plants. We long for the snowdrop to appear to encourage us to venture into our gardens in the wet, in the icy winds and enjoy all the early flowering plants in January.

We need strong varieties that will bulk up quickly over the season flower profusely and not cost us a small fortune and to be a delightful view from the kitchen window as we ponder thoughtfully over our gardens from a distance.

Galanthus nivalis – the familiar but still enchanting

 

Galanthus nivalis Flore Pleno (Double)

 

 

Galanthus nivalis Flore Pleno – the common, but none the worse for that, double form.

 

Galanthus - the Latin name meaning ‘milk flower’. They are surprisingly not native to Britain but are believed to have introduced from Europe by monks in the medieval period. Galanthus only gained there English name of ‘Snowdrop’ in the seventeenth century probably given due to the common species ‘nivalis’ meaning ‘snow like’.

Snowdrops cleverly close their flowers during the cool nights to encapsulate the daytime warmth, the temperature inside the bell is sometimes as much as two degrees higher than the night air.

Snowdrops like a moisture retentive soil and are best grown in part shade.

 

 

Winter Wonderland at Woottens

 

 

I am a true winter child - I love the scent of the first sharp frost, the falling leaves that leave a pallet of colour across the nursery and of course the winter flowering gems that are slowing nestling onto their place on the nursery.

 

 

Even though we are frantically preparing for the winter there is still time to enjoy the plants of the season. Cyclamen coum, Helleborus, and the most cherished of all Sarcoccoca confusa or 'winter flowering box'.

 

Each morning I leave home and check on the buds on my own Sarcoccoca, having pride of place by the front door, just waiting for them to burst and engulf me with that heavenly scent!

 

Even in the depths of winter, customers that brave the weather to visit us, are struck by the scent of the Sarcoccoca on the nursery.

 

 

However much we feel we are prepared for the winter in our gardens or on the nursery that first frost always catches us out! At home it is important to be preparing your plants for the winter.

All Pelargoniums should have their foliage removed and be brought into a frost free, dry environment. Mine are perched on shelving in my bathroom - where they receive the morning sun, circulation of air throughout the day from an open window and get sparingly watered once a week.

Even though they need to be kept above freezing I don't believe having them in a room with humid central heating, this can only increase the risk of botrytis and make them too accustomed to heat when you need to put them back outside. They'll become like a spoilt child never wanting to fly the nest!

 

Your Auriculas also need to be sheltered over the winter - they don't mind the cold temperatures at all but they do detest the wet. Simply putting them in a covered area away from snow and rain in the winter will be fine.

 

Tonight (after the frost we had last night) I'm heading home to enjoy the year's first White Mulled Wine which includes leaves from my Lemon Verbena. Wonderful!

Now is the time of year when your auriculas should be looking gorgeous.  Some varieties are proudly flowering their socks off while the tiny buds of others are just beginning to swell. Display them for all to see on a cool window sill or  how about an auricula theatre where displayed in clay pots they stand shoulder to shoulder competing for attention.    

You can grow auriculas outside in alpine borders where they are not in competition from larger perennials, or why not grow as I do in ceramic sinks or clay pans topped with grit where they look stunning. The varieties to grow outside are the alpines and my personal favourites the borders, which I feel take on a more frilly, feminine appearance.  While the bolder colours of the alpines  appeal too, offering sturdy stems and strong growth.   Do not shy away however from the stripes, edges and fancies, again these are easy to grow but prefer a cool greenhouse where they  can be protected from rain spoiling their farina (the powdering of the leaf) these plants offer the wow factor and cry out to be adored.

The doubles have a different appeal with colours ranging from the darkest  ruby red to chartreuse lemon, their heads  heavy with flower.  Planting in groups of three, these make an impressive display in a clay pan and will sit happily on a table outside all to enjoy.

For me this is the peak of the year as I open the poly tunnel door and am hit by the sweet scent and perfume of over 400 hundred varieties - it is interesting to see the new varieties as they come into flower there is such a range of flower and type.  

Next week I begin hybridising where I cross pollinate one variety with another - it is an intricate process but not difficult - choosing who to partner with who is always a challenge.  I have had some success with this over the last few years and have produced some wonderful crosses. The trick is timing, choosing just when the flowers are viable - then you wait to see if a seed head is produced and whether within that seed head are any seeds!  The seeds are just like cress seed,  I collect it very carefully to plant out later.  So with a bit of luck I will create something wonderful and a whole new generation of auriculas will be born.  An exciting time!

Sandra Sutton

Auriculas

Galanthus

Having admired Snowdrops from afar I had never had any involvement or experience with them on the nursery or in my own garden. To me they simply symbolised ‘life after Christmas’
The looming grey, dark days of late January early February would be lightened by the appearance of the first snowdrop.
Especially here at Woottens, we have an outstanding display underneath a coppice of hazel trees just as you drive into the nursery, after a bitterly cold cycle to work; it’s a pleasant sight to start the day.

But my knowledge of them was vague and they all seemed very similar, however last week I was designated the task of digging snowdrops for our customers here at Woottens, I hasten to add I was dubious to begin with.

However after 3hours of kneeling in freezing conditions with the wind burning my ears and receiving some serious ridicule from the Iris diggers on the nursery, my doubts were lifted and I was smitten. (The afternoon tea of the day helped)

After indulging myself in some research I realised just how ‘fashionable’ snowdrops are in the plant world. A true snowdrop enthusiast is known as a Galanthophile, documentation began of Galanthus in the 16th Century, Galanthus nivalis and plicatus were the main subject of discussion. I was surprised to discover they are not native to Britain but originate in Southern and Central Europe.

Although I have to admit within a few days I had become fussy in my choice of snowdrop. I cannot see the attraction this year with the yellow tipped snowdrops, to me the snowdrop has to be the crisp green against the white, the gold/yellow tint appears slightly ill, as though the flower is loosing life.

Amongst the hundreds of cultivars circling Galanthus collectors there are some beastly looking doubles, flirtatious hybrids where the petals flick outwards like a 1950’s ladies dress; and still my favourite the delicate single snowdrop, glancing up at you through its petals like a nervous lopped ear rabbit.

Whatever your opinion of the Snowdrop, I do not know of a single person that does not smile at the sight of the first snowdrop of the year.

A future Galanthophile……………………………………………………………

I find it really peaceful working in the garden in late autumn and for me it affords the best time for reflecting on successes and the inevitable failures that the last two
seasons have brought.

Without too much routine gardening to do, it is a great opportunity to plan for next year. It is also a good time to plant tulips bulbs… I have a huge weakness for tulips and every year find myself seduced by their vibrant colours and elegant forms. They are the stars of the spring show and can be enjoyed in a number of different ways.

For cut flowers the vegetable plot is an ideal place for tulips, they will thrive in an open situation with fertile, free draining soil and can be planted in rows for easy
picking. Containers filled with tulips also look fabulous, I prefer to keep mine simple using a single variety per pot.

Go for scented varieties and pack them in for impact. For large pots try
Single Late varieties such as the classic, deep maroon Queen of the Night or
Lily- flowered Queen of Sheba, Red Shine and White Triumphator.

You could try some old clay seed pans planted up with the diminutive species tulips such as Tulipahumilis or bakeri. These look great grouped together on the garden table where they can be enjoyed at close quarters. This year, for a touch of flamboyance, I am planting up some old galvanised wash tubs with Parrot tulips - Rococo, BlackParrot and Muriel.

Parrot tulips arose as sports or mutations of existing tulips and with their twisted and streaked petals they are perhaps the showiest of the species - but definitely not for the faint hearted. Tulips, of course, can also form an integral part of spring borders and I choose varieties to complement existing planting arrangements and colour schemes.

A few colour combinations which have worked for me and you may wish to try are as follows: Ballerina is the only orange Lily-flowered tulip; it is tall, elegant and deeply scented. I plant it with swathes of the snowy woodrush Luzula nivea.

Rich toffee and terracotta coloured tulips like Abu Hassan look great with fennel and copper coloured Carex buchananii , or the more bronzy Euphorbia “Fens Ruby” .

Try dark tulips such as Recreado and Negrita with the emerging silvery grey foliage of cardoons, Artmesia or Thalictrums as a backdrop - or the yellow leaved grass Carex elata“Aurea” for contrast. Finally, my favourite tulip is the dark
crimson Jan Reus. It looks fabulous with the deep pink flowers of Lamium Orvala
and emerging above the frothy pink cow parsley Chaerophyllum hirsutum Roseum .

If the weather is kind, tulips can be planted late into December
so there is still plenty of time to make a display – get planting!

Pelargonium Winter Care.


Over the past 2 months at Woottens we have been preparing our Pelargoniums for the cold season ahead. We have been incredibly lucky with the weather; Suffolk has been sunny, mild and breezy right the way through October and into November, perfect for tackling the winter trim.

At home my dining room has welcomed in my Pelargoniums for the winter, stacked along the sunny windowsills I make sure they receive plenty of light, very little water and a daily breeze.

I have stripped off much of the foliage to ensure the dreaded botrytis stays at bay this year. The scented leaf varieties still provide me with my daily dose of fragrance much more delightful than any air fresheners.

Amongst my many favourite Pelargoniums, I am particularly drawn to P.dichondrofolium and P.Lavender Lindi at the present.

Both have delicate foliage, dainty flowers and distinguished frangrances.

P. Lavender Lindi

P. dichondrofolium

Apart from keeping an eye on them and cleaning off any dead foliage, my Pelargoniums keep themselves to themselves through the winter, eagerly awaiting the Spring.