Wealden Times | WT260 | January 2024 | Good Living Supplement inside

Anemone blanda
know where the scent is coming from.
Sarcococca confusa (Christmas box) is
a small, low growing evergreen, often
overlooked, but it pumps out an almost
overwhelming perfume. Two larger
shrubs that are straggly nothings in
summer, but hard to be without at this
time of the year, are the wintersweet
– Chimonanthes praecox and Lonicera
‘Winter Beauty’, a winter flowering
honeysuckle. Plant them where they
can fade into the background once
the flowers are over, but near enough
for you to catch the fragrance.
Many of these late winter and early
spring performers are suitable for
growing in containers too, in fact
something like a camellia may even
prefer it, as these need acid soil.
The great thing about a plant in a
pot is that it can be moved away
from centre stage once it’s done its
thing – if you can move it, that is.
Magic Wands
The young stems of dogwoods (Cornus)
will provide brilliant winter colour,
especially if you are able to plant several
together. Dogwoods will grow in most
soil conditions, and they actually quite
like damp or heavy soils. They don’t
mind shady conditions, but their stem
colour shows up best in full sun. They
will send out suckers, so plant them
where they have room to spread. The
stems also look good cut and poked into
winter containers, bringing height and
structure – they may even take root.
For the best stem colour, Dogwoods
should be cut back hard in spring to
encourage the growth of new young
stems which have the strongest colour.
Some will cope with hard pruning
better than others – generally the more
vigorous the growth, the harder you can
cut back. After pruning, mulch around
the roots with compost or other wellrotted
organic material, but not right up
to the stems, as this could cause them to
rot. Mulching will feed and condition
the soil – and also help retain moisture.
Dogwoods won’t get too tall, because
they are regularly pruned to the base.
Some of the best for stem colour are:
Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’, which has bright
red new growth, while the aptly named
C. sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ has young
stems that literally look as if they’re
on fire – in shades of yellow/orange
tinged with red. Cornus stolonifera
‘Flaviramea’ has yellow-green stems;
Cornus alba ‘Kesselringii’ has young
growth of a deep purple colour.
Willows can (literally) run about in
the garden, so should be carefully
positioned, as they can be invasive and
hard to remove. They are fast growing
and some have brightly coloured
stems to rival the dogwoods. Salix
‘Britzensis’ is one of the best for stem
colour, but will need regular pruning.
Just like Cornus, willows are best
grown near water or in boggy places.
Jewelled Carpets
Bare stems and branches are
companionably set off with contrasting
carpets of snowdrops – the earliest of the
bulbs to flower. These tough little plants
will push up through snow (hence the
name) and frozen ground and naturalise
quickly in places where not much else
dares to grow – in the shade and among
the roots of trees. Slightly later, but
still early, Cyclamen coum, Anemone
blanda, and bulbs like winter aconite
and crocus will emerge. These little
treasures are best seen in massed throngs
beneath the trees, where they make
the most of the light before the dense
canopy of leaves closes in on them.
Hellebores are good and hardy, often
flowering where not much else will
and are a great asset in the garden
at this time of the year. Helleborus
niger (the Christmas rose) flowers in
winter, these are usually white, but
Helleborus orientalis cultivars flower
later, most often in pink shades from
pale to the darkest burgundy.
Low growing evergreens look good
next to bare stems, even low growing
dwarf conifers, or hardy ferns such
as Polystichums will work well and
bring all year foliage interest.
Structure is vital in the garden, perhaps
even more so in winter when we
can’t distract ourselves with flowers
and foliage. We need architecture,
focal points and framework plants.
Right now evergreens, or those with
elegant skeletons, striking bark, or
uplifting fragrance – plants that
might be overlooked during the rest
of the year, shine out beautifully.
Jo’s gardening courses starting
in spring are now booking
07923 969634 hornbrookmanor.co.uk
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