February’s plant of the month
February’s plant of the month is the humble Snowdrop. Snowdrop or Galanthus are dwarf bulbous perennials with linear or strap-shaped leaves, and solitary, often honey-scented, nodding flowers with 3 white outer tepals and 3 smaller inner ones often marked with green. They grow to approximately 20cm in height, with broad, grey-bloomed, dark green pleated leaves and solitary […]
What to do in your garden in February
It’s February! Here are the jobs you can be doing in your garden this month:- – Trim winter flowering heathers as flowers fade; – Cut back late summer and autumn flowering clematis to the lowest pair of strong buds; – Sow bedding annual seeds (Begonia/Pelargonium); – Prune winter-flowering shrubs that have finished flowering; – Prune hardy […]
What to do in your garden in January
It’s January and the start of a new gardening year. Despite the wintery weather here are some jobs you can be doing in your own garden this month:- Complete winter pruning of fruit trees; Prune wisteria shortening summer pruned shoots back to two or three buds from old wood; Remember to water planted containers in […]
January’s plant of the month
January’s plant of the month is Mahonia japonica – an evergreen shrub which flowers in winter (one of the few that does!). It has leathery, spiny leaves so is good to use as a barrier plant. Fragrant yellow flowers, sometimes followed by black or purple berries. It will grow to a height of 1.5m in […]
December’s plant of the month
December’s plant of the month is Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’. This is a great plant for achieving structure and colour in winter. Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ is a deciduous, upright-growing shrub with dark green leaves. It bears clusters of small white flowers in spring and early summer, followed by small white berries. It is most commonly grown […]
Plants for winter structure
A question which I am often asked at my consultations is ‘what can I grow in my garden in North East Scotland which will look good all year round?’ Many people would like to emulate the show gardens at Chelsea Flower Show (wouldn’t we all?!) but many plants featured there will not survive a winter […]
