Okay – not the most attractive of flowers, I’ll admit. But, oh – the fragrance!
Read moreDay 30: Phlomis russeliana
Few plants beat Phlomis russeliana for architectural interest, a spectacle through spring and summer…
Read moreDay 29: rose hips
I wonder if you’re a Big Picture person or whether, like me, you tend to get lost in the details…
Read moreDay 28: Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn'
Winter-flowering plants are rightly held in high esteem – those with scent even more so…
Read moreDay 27: wood avens
The best way to see wood avens (Geum urbanum) is in large colonies illuminated by dappled light beneath a woodland canopy…
Read moreDay 26: umbrella plant
It’s easy to take a reliable plant for granted, and I think I’ve been guilty of this with the umbrella tree, Schefflera arboricola…
Read moreDay 25: heralding spring at Chelsea Physic Garden
A marker at the beginning of the gardening year, tomorrow Chelsea Physic Garden throws open its doors to mark the transition of one season to the next…
Read moreDay 24: Cotoneaster horizontalis
Cotoneaster horizontalis is a conundrum…
Read moreDay 23: ligularia
There’s much to be said for plants that go to seed with style…
Read moreDay 22: periwinkle
No denying – Vinca can be a stinker…
Read moreDay 21: witch hazel
Upon the list of winter-flowering shrubs that stimulate schnoz, witch hazel (Hamamelis sp.) ranks high…
Read moreDay 20: lords and ladies
Who could be unmoved by the wonderful marbled green and cream leaves of Arum italicum subsp. italicum ‘Marmoratum’…
Read moreDay 19: hellebore
Hellebores aren’t the cheapest of plants to buy – but I can’t imagine being without them…
Read moreDay 18: string of hearts
The string-of-hearts or sweetheart vine (Ceropegia woodii) is a perfect houseplant for those who might be a little forgetful…
Read moreDay 17: beech
All credit to the beech tree (Fagus sylvatica) for giving us blocks of soft, coppery brown throughout winter…
Read moreDay 16: borlotti beans
The beautiful borlotti bean, its white pods and beans splashed liberally with vermillion…
Read moreDay 15: berberis
Loathed by gardeners for its evil thorns that will penetrate the thickest of gloves…
Read moreDay 14: sarcococca
Throwing open the back door, I’m greeting by a rich, sweet scent…
Read moreDay 13: goosegrass
Without doubt one of the true survivors, stems of goosegrass, or cleavers, or (my favourite) ‘Sticky Willy’…
Read moreDay 12: pelargonium shoots
Around now, all being well, you should be being rewarded with fresh new growth on your pelargoniums…
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