Plant of the Day Wednesday 7 January 2015 Density and...

Plant of the Day

Wednesday 7 January 2015

Density and repetition of plant use in a garden or landscape creates very different effects, here this is demonstrated by the increasing use of Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ (dogwood), from a single specimen to an informal hedge.This deciduous spreading shrub is grown for the coloured stems which are brightest in winter with orange-red and yellow young shoots. To promote new growth which has the most vibrant colours the plant can be pruned once established removing some older growth near the base, this species does not respond as well to the hard pruning given to other species of winter display Cornus.

Jill Raggett

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Plant of the Day Tuesday 6 January 2015 Late afternoon winter...

Plant of the Day

Tuesday 6 January 2015

Late afternoon winter sunshine causes the old foliage of Osmunda regalis (Royal fern) to glow. This deciduous fern

grows well by water producing a clump of simple bipinnate fronds. It was popular with Victorian era gardeners and large specimens can often be found on the edge of ponds in older gardens.

Jill Raggett

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Plant of the Day Monday 5 January 2015 A sea of texture...

Plant of the Day

Monday 5 January 2015

A sea of texture provided by a planting of Carex comans ‘Frosted Curls’ (New Zealand Hair Sedge) and the larger Phormium (New Zealand flax). This Carex is an evergreen perennial with narrow arching silver-green leaves forming a dense dome-shaped clump

about 30cm x 30cm. Here it is grown as groundcover and given room to show off its form but it also looks good when grown in a container with the foliage cascading over the edge. A plant that will grow in most soil conditions but does best with free draining soil. They will tolerate hard cutting back to refresh the foliage.

Jill Raggett

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Plant of the Day Sunday 4 January 2015 The distinctive outline...

Plant of the Day

Sunday 4 January 2015

The distinctive outline and habit of Fagus sylvatica ‘Pendula’ (weeping beech). A large deciduous trees with smooth grey bark, with long, pendulous side-branches, with leaves that colour well in autumn. This tree is a specimen plant for a large lawn and needs plenty of room to perform, reaching an ultimate height of more than 12 metres and a spread of over 8 metres. It requires a well drained soil and seems to make a useful lookout for crows!

Jill Raggett

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Plant of the Day Saturday 3 January 2015 The bright red stems...

Plant of the Day

Saturday 3 January 2015

The bright red stems of Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ (red-barked dogwood) catch the winter sunshine and provide a striking display of colour. Above it can be seen in a woodland garden, in a mixed border underplanted with Euonymus and as a red ribbon reflected in a lake.

The best stem colour is on the new growth so once established the shrub can be pruned hard to within 5-7cm of the ground in March every or alternate years depending on the height required. This type of pruning approach is called ‘stooling’.

Jill Raggett

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Plant of the Day Friday 2 January 2015 Even in winter grasses...

Plant of the Day

Friday 2 January 2015

Even in winter grasses can give great texture. This bold planting of a sweep of Anemanthele lessoniana (pheasant tail grass) punctuated by a row of pine trees provides texture and movement. The path with the unity of grasses on both sides offers a dynamic flow to the garden leading the eye and making the visitor want to see what is beyond the next corner.

Anemanthele lessoniana was formerly known as Stipa arundinacea, and is a clump-forming grass from New Zealand. The foliage is green in the summer but in autumn it takes on orange, red and yellow tints before becoming a warm ochre brown. It produces beautiful airy flower heads that catch the light in the summer.

Jill Raggett

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Plant of the Day Thursday 1 January 2015 The very early...

Plant of the Day

Thursday 1 January 2015

The very early flowering Narcissus ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’ (daffodil) is one of the earliest blooming daffodils and the flowers are already out to greet the new year. It can grow in a sunny or semi-shaded location, and tolerates the cold and the snow so having a long display period. I think I prefer Narcissus later in the spring but it seemed a positive a cheerful plant to say ‘Happy New Year’!

Jill Raggett

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