SPOTLIGHT ON... Dog’s tooth violets

Dog’s tooth violets (erythroniums) are an underrated group of plants that are as pretty as a picture and thrive in any welldrained earth that has been enriched with a generous helping of well-rotted leaf mould or multipurpose compost.

The common dog’s tooth violet has starry pink flowers and oval greeny-grey leaves that are marbled and spotted with brown. Plant them a foot apart in your chosen spot and spread a one-inch layer of chipped bark around them to show them off, seal in moisture and prevent them being splashed with mud. Equally desirable is Erythronium revolutum, especially in its form ‘White Beauty’, which has flowers that shine out of the gloom in a shady border.

With glossy green leaves and bright yellow flowers Erythronium ‘Pagoda’ grows to 10-12in and its flowers really do resemble bright yellow pagodas.

Like the other varieties it is at home in woodland or shrub borders, and will settle in and increase the size of its clumps over the years if it likes you.

Sunny skies and blue seas year-round will be at the heart of P&O’S newest ship when she makes her maiden voyage late next year.

Now revealed as the Arvia – from the Latin for ‘from the seashore’ - the Southampton-based line’s second Lng-powered Excel class ship will join the fleet in December 2022. Voyages on 184,700 gross tonnage Arvia, a sister to Iona, will go on sale next month with the focus expected to be the Mediterranean, Canaries and

Caribbean. P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said: “Arvia has been designed to travel to the sun yearround and to maximise views of the ocean and the seashore from everywhere on board.’’

He added that the vast space on board had ‘’enabled us to include a number of new and extraordinary features”.

More ship details will be revealed in the coming months.

pocruises.co.uk