Articles

Early summer is a delight with flowering shrubs aplenty and perennials looking at their best with fresh foliage before the garden starts to get a bit tired in mid summer. With dry winter and spring weather this year the plants are coming along earlier than last year. Shrubs are the backbone of the garden and many flower in June. Scented Philadelphus conronarius Aurea (golden yellow foliage) and Belle Etoile both have white scented...

May is my favourite month of the year as trees and shrubs are in leaf, the foliage is young and looking at its best and there are flowers everywhere. Trees with blossom in May include Crataegus laevigata Paul’s Scarlet, a Hawthorn. This is for larger spaces as it can get up to 8m tall and wide. In spring, the blossom is a rich deep pink and will cover the tree then you get red haws in autumn. Beware the sharp thorns though! Many...

April brings such a choice of beautiful fresh flowers and foliage that it is hard to choose which ones to suggest. Starting with a choice shrub, Viburnum plicatum, with white or pale rose flowers that look like a lacecap Hydrangea flower. They have flat lacecap saucer sized blooms and the leaves turn red in autumn. There are many varieties such as Summer Snowflake, Lanarth or Mariesii. All can become large up to 3m tall and wide if...

I love spring as everything is coming to life and that lovely green colour is coming back to the bare branches. So what can you add to your garden to bring spring cheer? Why not try tiny Chionodoxa bulbs with rich blue, white and pink flowers? They do well in pots and in any well drained soil. With small yellow daffodils planted alongside, they will really cheer you up. Primula Gold Lace is an old fashioned primula with velvety brown...

This month I am going to concentrate on the small flowers that show their faces in what can be the hardest month of the year. Snowdrops can be seen from January onwards if the soil is warm but come into their own in February. Did you know that they have reinforced hard buds to force their way through frozen soil? If you want to see them in flower en-masse then head to a National Trust garden such as Dunham Massey, Attingham Park or...

January is a difficult month to find colour in the garden so take time to appreciate the shape of plants and the colour from evergreens and tree bark. One January flowering plant, is Hellebore orientalis which is a winter flowering perennial with pink, plum, white and speckled flowers about 5cm in size. In time, a single plant can grow to produce dozens of flowers over winter, then the seeds can set to give you many more plants. They...