Plant of the Day Wednesday 31 December 2014 The leaves of...

Plant of the Day

Wednesday 31 December 2014

The leaves of Bergenia ‘Eroica’ (elephant ears) catching the winter sunshine having taken on their stunning red shade with the colder temperatures. Bergenia are hardy, and reliably evergreen perennials. They form a low clump of bold, waxy rounded leaves, which have vivid dark pink flower flowers in the spring. They are particularly useful at the edge of a path and contrasting with taller vertical growth such as grasses. They tolerate a range of growing conditions in sun and shade, withstand drought and I have read that they are deer and rabbit resistant!

Jill Raggett

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Plant of the Day Tuesday 30 December 2014 The strong evergreen...

Plant of the Day

Tuesday 30 December 2014

The strong evergreen fronds of Blechnum chilense (Chilean hard fern) provide structural foliage in the winter and form excellent groundcover in a cool, moist, shady area. The fern has a creeping rhizome and so needs room to spread producing the simple sterile pinnate fronds which are up to 1.2m in height, while the fertile fronds are more erect and produce spores.

Jill Raggett

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Plant of the Day Monday 29 December 2014 Despite the winter it...

Plant of the Day

Monday 29 December 2014

Despite the winter it is time for some plants to flower and the Hamamelis mollis (Chinese witch hazel) has just opened filling the air with fragrance. This Is a broad vase-shaped deciduous shrub with oval leaves that provide good yellow autumn colour. The plant thrives best in good light with a sheltered location which will also prevent the flowers’ scent from being carried away on any air movement.

Jill Raggett

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Plant of the Day 28 December 2014 Umbrellas, lighting and lots...

Plant of the Day

28 December 2014

Umbrellas, lighting and lots of imagination show the silhouette of the spiky evergreen Ruscus aculeatus (butcher’s broom, box holly) at night. These rhizomatous subshrubs have flattened, leaf-like cladophylls with small pale green flowers, followed by glossy red berries and the stems reach about 0.5m high. They will grow in deep shade, tolerate drought once established and in the wild are indicators of old woodland. In the past bunches of spiky stems were used to clean butcher’s chopping blocks. In the lowest image the arching stems of the taller Danae racemosa (Alexandrian laurel), another shade tolerant evergreen with cladophylls, can be seen with the Ruscus.

Jill Raggett

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Plant of the Day Saturday 27 December 2014 A tender climber...

Plant of the Day

Saturday 27 December 2014

A tender climber from the Canary Isles growing in the glasshouses of Cambridge Botanic Garden, UK, Canarina canariensis (Canary Island bellflower). This tuberous perennial has orange-red bell-shaped flowers on scrambling stems which will reach about 1.5m in height.Grow in a shaded but well lit glasshouse with good air flow, water freely and apply weekly liquid fertiliser when in growth, but keep dry when foliage turns yellow in late spring.

Jill Raggett

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Plant of the Day Friday 26 December 2014 The Taxus baccata...

Plant of the Day

Friday 26 December 2014

The Taxus baccata (English yew) makes a strong visual and physical boundary to this part of the garden at Anglesey Abbey. The formality is broken by using the same plant in the line but allowing it to take its natural form like a billowing cloud. It could be a cultivar such as Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’ that has markedly upward-growing shoots. Yew is excellent for evergreen hedging as it responds to pruning by producing dense growth, but remember it needs a well drained soil and is poisonous.

Jill Raggett

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Plant of the Day Thursday 25 December 2014 Formal rose gardens...

Plant of the Day

Thursday 25 December 2014

Formal rose gardens can look a bit dull in the winter, but at Waddesdon Manor, UK, they have worked with British artist, Bruce Munro. He has returned for a third year to create ‘Winter Light’, a range of contemporary art lighting installations in the historic gardens. I’m sure the beautifully pruned rose garden will soon be mulched and ready for the spring but on the night I visited the space was transformed - Season’s Greetings.

Jill Raggett

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Plant of the Day Wednesday 24 December 2014 Hedges make great...

Plant of the Day

Wednesday 24 December 2014

Hedges make great garden structure in the winter. Here Fagus sylvatica (common beech) retains it’s old leaves producing this russet-brown line that contrasts with the green lawn and the dark soil of the empty Dahlia border. The curve adds a dynamic quality to this part of the garden and tempts the visitor to explore. Fagus needs a well drained soil in sun or partial shade.



Jill Raggett

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Plant of the Day Tuesday 23 December 2014 Niches created in...

Plant of the Day

Tuesday 23 December 2014

Niches created in Viburnum tinus create an evergreen background for the startling white stems of Rubus cockburnianus (white-stemmed bramble). This deciduous shrub has white-bloomed, arching stems which will grow in sunshine or semi-shade. To retain colour and stop the plant from taking over it needs to be pruned to the ground in late winter or early spring to promote new growth. The large image shows the stems illuminated at night at the Anglesey Abbey Garden, Cambridge, UK, winter lighting event - so the stems can be any colour you want!

Jill Raggett

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