Ashburton
Alan Trott’s favourite winter blooms.
Daphnes have the most powerful perfume of the winter-flowering shrubs and are a must for all gardens be they large or small. Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postil’ is a selection from the famous Hillier Nurseries in the UK, and flowers for many months starting in early June. This upright growing shrub is best planted in a shaded position and flowers appear from the stems early winter till early spring. The small flowers appear in clusters and are pink in the bud and later fade to white.
Daphne ‘Perfume Princess’ is a New Zealand-bred daphne and is a must for any garden. It has an upright habit and remains tight growing especially if you pick the blooms to scent your living area as this also helps prune it. The flowers appear right up the stem and are large and the scent is the best of any daphne.
Camellias are a welcome sight in July.
My favourite is ‘Fairy Blush’ – upright growing with small leaves which unfold in spring with soft orange-pink tones. The tiny buds show a pink flush in late May and open in late June. The little single flowers are flushed pink and fade to white and the whole shrub is covered in small single blooms until at least to late September.
Camellia ‘Setsugekka’ flowers are
a delight, opening in late May and flowering well into the winter. This semi double white cultivar can be used as a hedge or shaped into an attractive shrub if you don’t have a lot of space. It has a slight fragrance.
Hellebores are magic when they flower in July.
I have recently taken out all of my seedlings and am only planting named cultivars. ‘Anna’s Red’ is one of the best reds and has wonderful mottled leaves. ‘Madame Lemonnier’ is a good performer, with huge soft pink blooms and strong dark green foliage. ‘Lily’ is new to my collection but a winner with its double white flowers which has raspberrycoloured veining which is rather unusual. There are many other amazing double ones and the best white double has to be ‘Ice Frills’ with its golden stamens which make a real statement.
When the flowers are appearing, take off all the tatty old leaves and this highlights the flowers, and perhaps give a small feeding of fertiliser at the same time.
I like to mulch mine with compost as well as this keeps the roots cool and damp over the hot summer.
Watch out at your local nursery and buy only the best.
There are some that flower in May but the peak time is July, and they thrive in frost and snow. The are many new cultivars available now from specialist growers so watch out for them as some are very choice for the front of your border or just plant amongst your shrubs.
Chimonanthus praecox ‘Luteus’ is the double golden form of wintersweet. It glistens when the winter light shines through the blooms, but it’s grown for its scent which fills the garden. This soughtafter shrub is grafted and not often available but when it is, buy it!
Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’ is a deciduous upright growing shrub which starts flowering with strongly scented, dark pink flowers in large clusters on the bare stems. It flowers in June and will continue to perform for at least two months. Prune this shrub after flowering to encourage new growth and this is the wood the flowers appear on next season.
Hyacinths are better in pots. Bring them onto the patio and perhaps up higher on a table so that you can admire them as well as enjoy that wonderful scent.
Narcissus ‘Cheerfulness’ is one of the first of the daffodils to flower and this double white with a hint of cream has many flowers per stem, but it too has a wonderful fragrance.
Cyclamen coum is one of winter’s treasures for the woodland garden and once established they flower freely for months. They also set seed freely and often you will get variations of flower colours from deep pink to soft pink. They can withstand extremely cold temperatures and grow best in soils that retain moisture especially in the summer when they are underground. ✤