16 KEY PLANTS
1 Akebia quinata A semi-evergreen climber with vanilla-scented flowers that are the rich violet of a vintage Bordeaux. Growth can be pruned after flowering. Prefers a sunny, sheltered spot. 10m. RHS H6, USDA 4a-8b†.
2 Anemone blanda Thrives in Chippenham Park’s well-drained, deciduous woodlands, where it can seed about undisturbed and flower freely in sun before the trees burst into leaf. Daisy-like flowers appear March to April. 15cm. AGM*. RHS H6, USDA 5a-8b. 3 Prunus ‘Tai-haku’ A stunning Japanese cultivar with serrated foliage that emerges saucer-shaped and a reddish bronze. It has pure-white flowers that are double the typical size of cherry blossom. Plant in full sun with lots of room. 8m. AGM. RHS H6.
4 Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae Glossy foliage provides excellent shady groundcover, and the lime-green bracts sing out in early spring, lighting up a back wall or dark corner. Glorious with an evergreen fern, such as Asplenium scolopendrium, or the furry fiddlenecks of Dryopteris
wallichiana. 70cm. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 6a-8b.
5 Erythronium ‘Pagoda’ One of the tallest and most prolific dog’s tooth violets, often with five to seven, sulphur-coloured, recurved flowers. Foliage is lush green, mottled with brown. Interweave it with Corydalis flexuosa ‘Blue Panda’ to form a soft spring tapestry. 35cm. AGM. RHS H5, USDA 3a-8b.
6 Pyrus calleryana ‘Chanticleer’ Its tightly branched, slender conical shape makes this ornamental pear perfect as a specimen tree or as an elegant pleached avenue. Abundant white blossom in March. 15m. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b.
7 Narcissus ‘Thalia’ An old cultivar with an elegance and refinement that few modern hybrids achieve. The flowers, two or three per stem, are the pure, greenish-white of snowdrops and highly fragrant. Excellent naturaliser. 40cm. RHS H6, USDA 3a-8b. 8 Prunus ‘Accolade’ Outstanding hybrid of the early flowering P. x subhirtella and the richly coloured P. sargentii, combining the best of both parents: pure pink, semi-double flowers that are among the first and most prolific to blossom, and also offers vivid autumn foliage. 8m. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b. *Holds an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. † Hardiness ratings given where available.
9 Cercis chinensis ‘Avondale’ A member of the Leguminosae family, hence its lovely pea flowers. This New Zealand selection has deep-violet buds crowding the branches, opening into magenta blooms. 3m. AGM. RHS H5, USDA 6a-9b.
10 Hyacinthoides non-scripta The English bluebell thrives in the dappled shade and humus-rich soil of Chippenham Park’s ancient woods. It will take over in borders and the vivid violet-blue colour fades in full sun. 40cm. RHS H6, USDA 5a-8b.
11 Ribes sanguineum ‘Poky’s Pink’ A particularly vigorous flowering currant with racemes of pale-pink tubular flowers and lobed leaves. Needs full sun and a hard prune after flowering. 1.8m. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 6a-10b. 12 Viburnum x juddii Every garden should probably have at least one viburnum and this compact cultivar is delightful. In April, clusters of rose-pink buds appear at the tips of the bushy branches, opening into loose snowballs of whitish, highly scented flowers. The foliage emerges a crinkled, apple green, darkening with age. Unfussy about soil or aspect. 1.2m. RHS H6, USDA 4a-8b.
13 Amelanchier x lamarckii A tree that works hard all year offering starry white flowers in March with bronze early foliage, then dark berries in summer and a splendid autumn display. It works wonderfully as a multi-stemmed shrub, underplanted with white Cyclamen coum or Crocus ‘Snow Bunting’. 10m. AGM. RHS H7, USDA 4a-8b.
14 Stachyurus praecox The beauty queen of all early flowering woody plants. Long racemes of palest yellow buds hang like strings of pearls from each arching leafless branch, whose bark is the richest chestnut. Buds open into bell-shaped flowers, forming a catkin of blossom around 10cm long: slender, dramatic and completely stunning. 3m. AGM. RHS H5, USDA 6a-8b.
15 Cercis siliquastrum ‘Bodnant’ Intense purple flowers smother this Judas tree in late spring, followed by reddish-tinted, pendulous seedpods from July onwards. Emerging bronze, the heart-shaped leaves evolve into a deep green then fade to pale yellow. 8m. AGM. RHS H5, USDA 6a-9b.
16 Muscari armeniacum If you don’t have acres for a bluebell wood, try planting a swathe of grape hyacinth, as violet-blue as a summer’s sky. They will be just as eager to colonise, flooding any area with their strappy leaves and neat cones of tubular flowers. Lift and divide congested clumps regularly. 15cm. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 4a-8b.