Delicious Daphne

Tonight the air is laden with the delicious scent of Daphne in full bloom. Once sensed - never forgotten - absolutely beautiful.

And just because I love them - more snowdrops!

Hellebore Hill

Above the Snowdrop bank to the left of The White Wood is Hellebore Hill. These demure plants thrive here in the woodland setting. The beauty of this planting is that walking along the path you look up into the centre their exquisite bell shaped faces.

Snowdrops Galore

What a wonderful week for these bold little flowers. With the milder temperatures their buds have burst & the garden is a profusion of white. Galanthus nivalis milk flower is the best known variety here & most will flower before the vernal equinox (21st March).

The magic of these solitary, pendulous flowers with tiny green hearts stamped on their leaves is hard to define. I am captivated by stories of Snowdrop Lunches which are very popular. Each guest brings a clump of snowdrops from their own garden as a gift and is given a fellow guests clump to take home add to their collection. What a lovely idea.

The bees are thrilled with their new food source & the garden is a-buzz with these industrious little workers. The currant is proving to be another great favorite now that she's in full bloom.

Time to Celebrate

The buds on our snowdrops have started to burst open with abandon. Their exhuberant display is a joy to behold. Groups of walkers on the footpath are just stopping to stare, others telling us that they come every year to look as for them it signals the first sign of Spring. We're touched by their enthusiasm.

The current display is the result of a decade spent religiously splitting the clumps when they are 'in the green'. Snowdrops, Galanthus, are promiscuous plants - their bulbs multiply at a prolific rate and they need space to breathe. We replant in concentric circles on the sloping site to enhance the natural landscape. Our project for this decade is to mirror the planting on the opposite side of the valley. Last year we took our first little steps!!

Butcher's Broom

Let me introduce you to our unassuming winter star. When we arrived here eleven years ago we rescued an insignificant shrub that had been blown across the pathway & tethered it to a stake. We thought no more about it until the following February when each morning it repaid us tenfold, seducing our senses with it's soft, sweet aroma . This humble beauty is: Ruscus aculeatus, commonly known as Butcher's Broom.

This dense evergreen shrub is tough & nothing special at first glance. However, in late winter it comes into its own; small greenish-white flowers blossom in January which are then succeeded by scarlet berries. The scent is out of this world.

According to Culpepper it is:

'a plant of Mars,being of gallant, cleansing quality.'

Used as a herb it is sometimes called Knee Holly, a reference to it's hight at maturity. The name Butcher's Broom refers to a time when it was bound into bundles and sold to butchers for sweeping their blocks.

Please take time to seek it out!!

Chinese Year of The Rabbit

The Chinese year of the Rabbit was ushered in by the Storm Moon at 2.31 on February 3rd. This is the year of the White Rabbit, a sophisticated period marked by gracious manners & sensitivity. Well, I already feel like I've fallen down the rabbit-hole & arrived in Wonderland!

Our Chinese Witch-hazel Hamamelis mollis is in full bloom. Her soft yellow flowers with ribbon-shaped spidery petals are a star attraction in the late winter garden, drawing the eye to a carpet underplanting of snowdrops. Witch -hazel is sweetly fragrant, a delicious surprise each morning when checking the progress of the heavily pregnant snowdrop buds.

Head Gardener Observes The Rookie

" She's exasperating," sighed Zeus, "I said a little gentle hoeing---not The Great Escape!"

Our Hot Tipped South American

We have our own fluorescent beacon just above the pond, it is Cornus Wildfire. The colours of this uplifting plant light up the whole garden in the winter when the light is low. Pruned into a tree to allow a glimpse of the stream below, the arching yellow branches are tipped with sunset-orange. It's colours resemble the vibrancy of it's native South American habitat. This shrub injects a spirit of fun and joy into the winter garden. But beware!---- It has a volatile nature, don't be tempted to prune it back hard as with traditional Cornus if you do it will just lay down and die!

It is very difficult to capture the effervescence of this shrub with the lens, look at these pictures and magnify the luminosity by 100%.

Something Beautiful

As soon as we pass the winter solstice the sun begins to increase in strength; the gentle increase in temperature triggers the flowering of mid-winter shrubs.

Daphne blolua Jacqueline Posthill, originating from the Himalayas, is a stunning specimen. Grown for her abundance of fragrant pink-purple flowers presented on elegant arching stems it is an absolute delight. When planted along a path, or in our case beside the steps, wafts of fragrance seduce unsuspecting passers-by. This plant belongs to a group known as paper daphnes & it's common name is the Nepalese paper plant -harking back to times when paper & rope were made from the sinewy bark.

This beautiful specimen was introduced to us by a very talented plantswoman who has ensured that the plant has been able to get it's roots down deep into the soil. Providing we don't move her, Daphne should shower us with fragrance every February for a long time to come!

Morning Glory

What luck to be in the garden early enough to capture this magical moment. Five minutes later the drama was over; Wednesday broke to grey skies and drizzle! But moments before the inky sky was illuminated with splashes Rose Turkish Delight, a fantastic backdrop for the silhouettes of the woodland trees.

The water in the pond turned pink, mirroring the magnificence of the heavens above. A hint of the soft hues to come as spring arrives and unpacks her wares. And maybe a reminder of the intransigence of beauty

A Subtle Charmer

I can't believe that today is the first day of February & there is more than a hint of spring in the air. Although the garden reports for January are sparse the activity level in the garden was high. It's been a perfect time to start pruning the roses for shape & form. This is a chance to get to know each rose a little better, if you like: to commune with each rose in person. I will report more of that later.

During this time I have been lucky to witness the beauty of one of January's true stars. 'Ribes Laurifolium' the flowering currant. This is an absolute must for early interest with leathery green leaves supporting hanging heads of creamy-green scented flowers. This is a tough little plant, virtually disease resistant, and although glorious at this time of year-it is invisible during the busy summer months.

A low-growing plant, originally from China, this plant is available in male & female form. The males produce the biggest flowers whilst the females produce sumptuous berries. Both are divine, the choice is yours!