A plAce for hellebores
This collection of roses offers a myriad of gentle pastel tones, while an unusual heather provides spires of whirling colour
It is not often that something I have planted really jars with me: I am not that much of a perfectionist, but every so often, it does. Such was the case with the hellebores I planted last autumn.
I had bought what I thought might be Helleborus x ericsmithii crosses. However, ‘Christmas Carol’, turned out to be H. niger, the Christmas rose: I really should read labels properly, unclouded by wishful thinking. White-flowered H. niger is perfectly pleasant in its own way, but dumpy, and it made the supposedly wildish planting in the copse look bedded out.
It nagged at me: then I thought about relocating some of the dark Harvington strain hellebore seedlings from the wood bed. The greenish-to-purple flowers are produced in March and April, and their more finely fingered leaves and taller stature complement the native green-flowered H. foetidus already in situ, which is flowering now in February.
At the moment, I am cutting back most of the hellebore foliage, which I should have done a bit earlier, to let new growth show and help prevent fungal hellebore leaf spot.
BARE ROOT ROSES planted now can be enjoyed in the coming year. This beautiful mixture of roses offers excellent long-flowering specimens, which will thrive in almost any soil, and aside from the occasional prune, they are very easy to grow. They are ideal for cutting and offer superb habitats for wildlife.
Dog rose, Rosa canina
This indestructible specimen is one of the most welcome signs of summer as it begins to flower. It is a vigorous scrambling rose, ideal for growing through hedges or trees in wildlife-friendly gardens. Blooming continues into autumn and is followed by bright red hips. Height and spread 8ft (2.5m). Priced at £12 each.
Red-leaved rose, Rosa glauca AGM
These graceful roses form a vigorous thorny thicket of intense red stems, with grey-purple foliage, which provides the perfect contrast to the lightly scented, intensely bicoloured rose-pink and white flowers. These are followed by spherical red hips in autumn. Height 8ft (2.5m) and spread 6ft 6in (2m). Priced at £12 each.
Sweet briar, Rosa rubiginosa
This deciduous rose has dense, thorny arching stems, and foliage which has a pleasant apple fragrance. During summer, it produces masses of dusky pink single flowers, with white eyes, which are followed by oval, red hips. Height and spread 8ft (2.5m). Priced at £12 each.
Japanese rose, Rosa rugosa ‘Alba’
With its zesty-rose scent, this fast growing bushy variety is ideal for a compact low growing flowering hedge. Throughout summer and into autumn, it is covered in single white blooms, followed by the largest hip of any wild rose family. Height and spread 5ft (1.5m). Priced at £12 each.
Roses supplied as bare root plants in 14 days*.