Planting big and small
THE best time to plant a tree is always yesterday, but deciding what variety to choose is very much a job for now, when we are still in the dormant season. That decision, like so many in gardening, depends not only on what’s fashionable or new or is tipped to appear at a flower show near you, but, more importantly, what will be happy on the sunny bank you have in mind.
Another question is what to plant now that so many elms, ash and horse chestnuts are affected by pests and diseases. All is not lost. The hearty oak, which, since time began, has hosted more parasites than any other English tree, seems still to flourish and other natives such as beech, hornbeam and maple are, so far, free from trouble. Thanks to determined breeding programmes, there are now several elms that are immune to Dutch elm disease.
What, therefore, will we be growing in 2022? Herbs will continue to be popular as people experiment with new varieties. Supermarkets may offer only one kind of mint, but Jekka’s Herb Farm near Bristol has no fewer than 43 types, including the splendid ‘Tashkent’, the curly-leafed ‘Mojito’ and the variegated ‘Pineapple’. Rosemary? The company lists 33 kinds—as well as 57 types of thyme. This is the way gardening will go, so plan a perennial herb garden that looks, smells and tastes good year after year. Or plant perennial herbs (although not those notoriously invasive mints) in a mixed border or next to a path where the scent is released as one walks past.
Be different: that little extra effort in choosing what to buy and where to source it from will be more than paid off in the years— and admiring comments—to come. Visit a National Plant Collection to see what different varieties are like and to ask questions of their expert holders. Try something new. Roger Parsons, the great sweet-pea man, is launching his early-flowering Riviera series this year with scent-packed stems that bloom from May. Benefit from the work of breeders who are consistently improving edible seed selections to offer greater protection against common problems of blight and disease without compromising on quality of flavour.
Now that, for many, our homes have become our offices, what plant is sitting on your desk? If it’s a generic garden-centre or supermarket houseplant, why not swap it for something really special, such as the British-bred orchid Cymbidium ‘Princess Charlotte’ from Mcbean’s nursery in East Sussex? There is so much choice out there, so be brave and dig on.