PLANT YOUR BORDER
Winter aconites need sunshine to open wide, so choose a site that receives sun for at least part of the day even in January and February, when the sun sits low on the horizon. In a perfect world you’re after a fertile soil that’s moist but well-drained. Fortunately these plants are fairly forgiving and the witch hazel will cope with most soils apart from very heavy clay or chalky, preferring slightly acidic-to-neutral conditions. Improve the site by adding plenty of well-rotted organic matter, whether compost, leafmould or manure, and mulch annually.
An evergreen backdrop ensures the witch hazel flowers really glow, so if you’ve been hankering after a holly, bay or yew, perhaps now’s the time to incorporate it into your garden.
1 Start with the witch hazel
The hamamelis is the structural centre of this planting and although it’s slow growing, make sure the area is big enough to accommodate its eventual spread. Measuring its projected width on the ground helps you avoid going too close to buildings or other trees. You can buy container-grown witch hazels throughout the year and it’s worth visiting a nursery in person to choose a plant with a suitably attractive multi-limbed shape.
Plant when the ground is
workable (stay off if it’s wet or frozen) watering the container well beforehand. Dig a hole twice as wide as the rootball and work in a bucket of compost. Tease out any congested roots and arrange the hamamelis so that the top of its compost is level with the soil surface and its graft union is above. Water, mulch and add a tree guard if rabbits are a problem in your garden.
Witch hazels don’t generally need pruning but you can tidy any damaged stems after flowering.
2 Establish the snowdrops and winter aconites
Both snowdrops and winter aconites establish best when planted ‘in the green’, during active growth in late winter and early spring. Prepare the soil so you can plant without delay, using the white/green line on their foliage as a guide for how deep to plant. Water in well and leave the foliage to die back naturally, ensuring all the energy goes into the bulbs/tubers for next year’s display.
Unless you have very deep pockets it will take a few years to get the generous sweep of plants that makes these displays so good. Dig up clumps after flowering, split and replant immediately. The winter aconites also increase by self-sowing, however snowdrop ‘Magnet’ produces no viable seed so propagation is by division only.
Buying snowdrops and aconites as dried bulbs and tubers from late summer to early autumn brings only limited success. Try to buy them as soon as they appear in the shops; you don’t want those that have been sitting on a shelf for months.
3 Pick a hellebore
Lenten roses (sometimes called Oriental hellebores) are available in such a range of forms they’re impossible to resist. Buy named cultivars from specialist breeders online, or wait until your local nursery has a good selection in flower. These are deep-rooted plants so dig out a generous hole and improve the area with compost. Water well after planting and during any prolonged dry spells that follow. Deadhead after flowering unless you’re happy for plants to self-sow (the offspring will be variable). In December, remove old foliage to smarten up plants ready for flowering and to help reduce leaf spot disease. ✿