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.

Many months have passed since our last blog entry here at Woottens Plants.

Although the autumnal sun still graces our days, the nights are most certainly calling in the winter. I have to admit that wintertime is my guilty pleasure, I adore the changing of the seasons especially here at Woottens.

Having enjoyed the witty words of our beloved botantist Rohanna, I am saddened to say she has left our coastal shores to study at RHS Wisley to extend her already profound knowledge.

The dutiful task of the Woottens blog has been passed on to not just one but all the dedicated staff members of the nursery team.

We hope to be able to give you a diverse insight into the inner workings of Woottens Plants and indulge you all with our individual passions.

We all have our designated areas on the nursery ranging from the digging and replanting of Bearded Irises and Hemerocallis to propagating our Auriculas and Pelargoniums.

Whatever the time of year each area is thriving with activity and we would like you to join us in our Woottens blatherings.

I spent the greater part of last autumn and winter seriously focusing on transplanting around 15,000 irises. Think wild autumnal winds, rain, and me trudging about for months in initially a huge yellow two piece wet weather suit, which eventually (after being blown backwards whilst trying to cycle home) I upgraded to a chic navy blue slimmer fit. I lived in wet weather gear, and breathed irises, I dreamt of iris names flying in the wind and dancing in mud.

Iris Stella Light and Rosalie Figge

Its surprising really that before last autumn I had little passion for irises, but then I was ignorant, and now, thousands of rhizomes later, I can say for sure that I am hooked. Last year I never really saw the iris field until digging time, when most of the flowering had finished, it was then the remontants, the second fruiters, which held my gaze, the beauty of Stella Light, which on its own is a rich purple, but oddly becomes more blue when held next to the rich papal purple of Rosalie Figge.

Iris Midnight Caller and Codicil

But now, I see the field in all its glory, a sea of colours, so many enchanting possibilities. This week I especially wanted some Iris Midnight Caller, for its velvet richness and some Codicil, I like the way the dark beards contrast against the antique blue standards and falls. But no doubt there will be many more that I “need”, I can’t wait to have a leisurely stroll and meet some of the hundreds of varieties we have to tempt. Our iris fields are officially open for viewing from the 24th of May until the 10th June. Do pop in and have a look, I expect you will be smitten.

What a spring we have had so far! The oaks here in Suffolk are well ahead of the ash, so as the old saying goes Oak before Ash, in for a splash, Ash before Oak, in for a soak, we shall see. I can tell with it being my second spring in suffolk that everything is further ahead this year, but then last year took a while to warm up, and if old sayings are anything to go by, Ne’er cast a clout (coat), till May be out.

Never mind all that, right now I am appreciating the astounding beauty of theWisteria sinensis Prolific, that elegantly climbs across a cream wall here on the nursery. Its pendulous racemes and perfect pruning transform the wall and transport the viewer to somewhere grand and romantic like renaissance Italy. Underneath Iris germanica Rosalie Figge perfectly compliments, enhancing the dream.

Wisteria is a vigorous woody vine, growing up to 20m high by 10m across and as such requires a strong substantial support frame. The largest recorded Wisteria apparently measures in at an acre, but with regular pruning its size and shape can be well maintained (as is the case here on the nursery). In its native environment Wisteria sinensis grows up other trees, preferring a rich well drained, slightly acid soil. I know of one that grows all the way from a neighbouring house up, up, up, over a high fence into a crab apple tree which blossoms around the same time, creating a soft natural effect that stills the mind.

In the foothills of the high country in the South Island (New Zealand) Lupins have found a home along the gravelly banks of braided rivers, thriving to the extent they actually have become something of a pest (due to habitat modification-another story altogether). But who could seriously begrudge the sight of lupins in various pastels growing en-mass, stunningly set off by the snow capped Southern Alps and turquoise waters of glacial fed streams.

The lupins on the nursery were potted on a few weeks ago and the palmate foliage triumphantly smiles out of its pot, as if to say thank-you. I look forward to lupins every year as they remind me my mother, who as far as I can see grows the best lupins. There is no real secret in it, except to say they want their soil rather light, not too full of nutrients and nor too compacted.

Some recommend to cut down flower stalks to stop seed development, which uses plant energy, perhaps more important when the plant is young, but it may also encourage a second later flourish of flowers. However its worthwhile noting that without George Russell’s breeding and selection of seedlings the lupin would not be what it is today. So if you like a bit of randomness in colours, let your lupins set seed and see what happens, or if taking the controlled approach cut down those flowers stalks! Either way, with the warming April soil, now is the time to get your lupins planted.

The Dicentra spectabilis are budding and even opening now. Like something conjured from a faery tale, heart shaped buds dangle from arching racemes surrounded by delicate divided fronds of foliage. On the nursery we have both the straight species form and the Dicentra spectabilis Alba for those who like the refreshing simplicity of white on green.

Dicentra spectabilis is a hardy rhizomatous perennial native to woodlands of Eastern Asia. It likes a moist soil in a lightly shaded position, a cooler position is said to promote longevity of flowering and increase lushness of foliage. Be careful not to disturb the roots, as the plant naturally dies back after flowering one can forget where it is planted and this plants does not enjoy having its brittle roots prodded about.

Passing by hedgerows turning frothy with blossom, and golden slippered with daffodils, suddenly I feel its safe to believe that spring really is here. What marks the first day of spring is it a date, or a bluebell, or something else? Already we have had some wonderfully warm days, where working away (albeit rather vigorously) one has been reduced to a t-shirt!

Euphorbia ceratocarpa has caught my eye this week, its one of those wonderful plants which offers something all year round. Coming through the winter with stems shaded in red tones topped off with golden limey green willow like leaves, followed up with limey yellow flowers in summer.

It likes a free draining soil, so loam, sandy or chalky, the main thing being it hates having wet feet, especially in winter, plant in the right place and it will never disappoint! The plant has an open habit giving it a delicacy other Euphorbias lack and adding to its versatility as a garden plant which fully mature will reach the height and spread of around 1.5m. There are many planting options, some recommend Phormiums, I like the idea of mixing with the grass Anamenthele lessoniana, Nepeta, Gaura, and perhaps some Erigeron karvinskianus.

A friend of mine, who lives in the tropical climes of Hawaii, remarked that she could not possibly live in such a cold climate, a tale of fresh coconuts and homegrown pineapples (imagine). However wondrous this may seem, I fear I would miss the annual dance around the seasons, the constant reminder of life in all its different stages. The exciting thing, right now, is that all the herbaceous perennials are stirring to life, they are fresh and optimistic, perfectly positive actually.

P. Festiva Maxima, P. Mons Jules Elie, P. Duchess de Nemours

Besides, what about peonies? Herbaceous peonies (Paeonia sp), need the cold, apparently thirty days of frost, to promote strong flowering, and who would want to be without a herbaceous peony. At the moment they are thick red asparagus like spears, which will in time unfurl into lush green palmate foliage, followed by large sumptuous flower heads in early summer.

Broadly speaking herbaceous peonies can be divided into 3 groups, there are singles, doubles and the Imperials. Singles and doubles are self explanatory, Imperials are interesting in that they are single flowers in which the stamens have become petal like filaments creating a contrasting inner density to the flower.

P. Scarlett O'Hara, P. Krinkled White, P. Bowl Of Beauty

Besides the wonders of herbaceous peonies, one cannot overlook the tree peony, of which Rockii, previously rare, is a certain Nurseryman’s favourite. Think golden yellow stamens encircled by huge white papery petals of crushed silk, blotched with inky berry markings at the base.

All peonies are long lived (100years recorded in some cultivars) and like a sunny site with rich soil (heavy but not waterlogged). Peonies in pots can be planted now, take care when planting, herbaceous peonies need their crown up at the surface to ensure good flowering and tree peonies are generally grafted plants so make sure the grafted union is well above the soil.

I cannot decide if I like the parrot tulip that is revealing itself from its tiny pot, a house warming gift. There is something about the red flowers crumpled green edge that from afar gives some kind of diseased look, and I think ugh what has happened to that tulip. The parrot tulips “look” actually was originally caused by a mosaic virus transmitted to the plant by a louse. Through the wonders of modern science the visual effect has been retained whilst removing the disease. Tulips incidentally hail from Turkey and were introduced to Holland about 400years ago with whom they have been associated with ever since.

On closer examination I concede that of course the parrot tulip does have some beauty, but I would struggle to dismiss any plant altogether. Last year I was enchanted by many a weed, simply for its wildflower value, one of the most impressive being a Tragopogon pratensis, otherwise known as Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon or Goats beard. In flower it is like a dandelion, but larger and more defined, and even more so when it turns to seed, almost as good as an Allium christophii bloom (shown in the pictures below).

The Auricula house is starting to transform, with some flowers and buds coming along on many. My favourites at the moment are the Double Auricula’s, which are like tiny velvet roses made by elves (who previously worked for the shoemaker). This one is crimson glow, I have it on my kitchen window sill, the coolest spot in the house but still with plenty of light.

Michael is passing on the blogging reigns for a bit as he is busy gearing up towards the fast approaching time of year all us gardeners have been waiting for. I scarcely believe that spring will truly come, and summer in turn- that flowers like Pacific Giant Delphiniums really do exist. I can see them now poking out of the ground, a sign of life from the dormant soil, but a mere nod to their eventual grandeur.

I by the way am Rohanna Heyes, a member of the Woottens team and among other things am a keen gardener from the far flung reaches of the South Island, New Zealand (it can be far colder than everyone thinks) where I studied Botany for a Bachleor of Science at Otago University. Right now I am dreaming of the flowers I fell for last summer: the black form of cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris “Ravenswing”), Pimpenella major Rosea (in form much like a cow parsley with soft pink umbels), Knautia macedonia, Gaura lindheimeri, Erigeron karvinskianus, Nepeta “Walkers Low”, Eryngium “Sapphire blue” and Echinops “Veitchs Blue”. The options are endless really when I look round the nursery these are but a few, and what better time is there than the present to start planning for summers bounty.

Meanwhile there are actually many wonderful plants that are grabbing attention right now, and one that cannot be passed with out a pause to inhale its beautiful fragrance is of course Daphne odora Aureomarginata. Daphne odora is a slow growing evergreen shrub (semi-evergreen in England) that hails from Eastern Asia. All Daphne’s prefer to be left alone once planted, so take time to choose the right spot. Daphne odora needs a free draining soil fertile soil, and prefers not to be pruned (taking a few sprigs of the delicious scent inside now and then is about all that is required). The D. odora cultivar Aureomarginata, is generally considered the hardiest and is at home in a border or in an informal woodland, but is perhaps best at an entrance way, where its fragrance can be more often appreciated. Red berries follow flowers.

On the nursery we also have the perhaps more exotic Daphne bholua “Jacquelline Postill” also known as the Nepalese paper plant after the production of paper and rope from its bark. It is particularly noted for its intensely fragrant flowers which are slightly larger than those of D. odora, it is bigger in habit too, growing in favourable conditions up to 4m high with a spread of 3m. It is evergreen (though deciduous at altitude in its native environment) with purple black berries following the flowers. It requires a fertile, free draining soil in either light shade to full sun, and is borderline hardy.