‘Yuletide’ is cause to celebrate
A seaside garden in East Sussex that opens for charity, featuring sculpture and reclaimed objects.
We’ve had many murky mornings of late that really do nothing to inspire me to get out there to work. That said, I’m pleased there’s still some colour coming through. My collection of aeoniums, all carefully stored in the front and back porches, are looking pretty amazing, with lots of new growth.
Christmas might be behind us, but tell that to the Christmas camellia ‘Yuletide’. It’s one of the most outstanding winter flowering shrubs in my garden, with dark, dense, evergreen foliage combined with a mass of bright red blooms, which really do light up my garden from November through to January.
It’s easy to grow, with virtually no maintenance required, and the foliage creates an attractive pyramid shape which looks spectacular, especially in containers. It’s quite slow growing though, with an eventual height of 9m (30ft) – mine is currently just under 1m (3¼ft) in height!
I’ve got two Brazilian plants that are looking gorgeous in the greenhouse at the moment, too. The first is a stunning Blechnum brasiliense ‘Volcano’ that I acquired earlier in the year. It’s really established itself well now and the young fronds unfurl in a bronze volcanic hue, turning a shiny green as they open. It’s hardy down to -5C (23F) but I’m playing safe for its first winter and keeping it warm. The other, also bought earlier this year, is the Brazilian fuchsia, or Justicia rizzinii. It produces a multitude of dangling, tubular blooms in two-tone shades of red and gold. It certainly brought an exotic feel to my patio this summer. In the garden itself, the calendula ‘Power Daisy’ are looking quite spectacular, tumbling out of a large container by the rusty metal plough.
One of the best things about my garden at this time of year is I’m able to fully view all the rusty metal sculpture. As the year progresses, parts get concealed as the planting grows and takes over. It seems to emerge from the dense growth in winter.
I’ve recently removed all the ivy that had grown up at the front of the house from the containers there. I really shouldn’t have allowed them to creep up the wall as it’s damaged the finish, so much so that I’m having the front and side of the house repainted this month. l Read more of Geoff’s garden at www.driftwoodbysea.co.uk.