Sheena’s Plant of the Month: Alliums
Allium is the Latin word for garlic, and alliums are closely related to the onion family, so chives, for example, have the same growth habit. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love the firework-like pom-pom heads of ornamental alliums, which come in all sorts of colours from purple to pure white. There are 500 species […]
Sheena’s Plant for December: Ilex aquifolium ‘Handsworth New Silver’
Known as English Holly, Ilex aquifolium ‘Handsworth New Silver’ is a dense, vigorous, evergreen shrub, with a columnar habit. It’s largely valued for its bright red, attractive berries, useful for Christmas decorations. It grows to about ten metres tall, so this isn’t a plant for a small garden. Plant in full sun to produce the […]
Sheena’s plant of the month – Campanula lactiflora
The name Campanula comes from the Latin word meaning ‘bell’ owing to the bell-shaped flowers of the species. My favourites are the lactifloras for their tubular, star-shaped, upward-facing flowers. Although Lactiflora means ‘milky flower’, most of them are actually lavender in colour. In my opinion, ‘Pritchard’s Variety’ is the best for its long bloom time, stately presence and deep […]
Plant of the Month for January: Christmas Rose
Christmas Rose – Helleborus Niger One of the loveliest of flowers for this month is the Christmas Rose (Helleborus Niger, the black Hellebore). We find that as landscape garden designers, it’s such an easy, obliging plant, tough as old boots but much prettier. I grow mine in a slightly raised bed so I can see the […]
Sheena’s Plant of the Month for January: Honeysuckle
Shrubs that are flowering at the moment include one of my favourites, the winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima and L. x purpusii), which fills the air with wonderful scent. I made a mistake when I planted mine right at the end of the garden a couple of years ago… it really needs to be nearer the […]
Sheena’s Plant of the Month for December: Cyclamen Coum
I like plants that don’t require mollycoddling, and cyclamen coum is just such a plant. The shops are full of cyclamen tempting us to buy for Christmas but generally speaking, the larger and more showy the flowers on the cyclamen, the less likely it is to be suitable for outdoor use all year. Cyclamen coum […]
Sheena’s Star Plant for October: Nerine bowdenii
I love Nerine bowdenii for its spring-like flowers in autumn and it makes a beautifully colourful, vibrant display that will brighten even the dullest autumn days. It needs some protection from winter frosts, so plant it near a wall for protection and make sure it’s in sharply drained soil. If you garden on heavy clay, […]
Sheena’s Plant of the Month – Solanum Crispum ‘Glasnevin’
Solanum Crispum ‘Glasnevin’ is a very vigorous evergreen or semi-evergreen scrambling shrub or climber. It has won a Royal Horticultural Society award of merit for its reliability. When choosing plants in garden centres, look out for the RHS logo if you’re not sure which variety is best, as it indicates that the plant is recommended […]
Sheena’s Plant of the Month: Viburnum plicatum ‘Mariesii’
Viburnum plicatum ‘Mariesii’, or the Japanese snowball bush, has wonderful white lacecap-like flowers on horizontally tiered branches in May-June. The dark green leaves turn red-purple in autumn and I always think plants that give two seasons of interest are good value. This beautiful, deciduous shrub makes an excellent specimen plant for a sunny spot or […]
Flowering shrubs for April
Flowering shrubs for April gardens in the UK (US Zone 9) April is probably the most exciting month of the year in the gardening calendar. Things suddenly begin to look green and vibrant and the warmer days and lighter evenings can gladden the heart of every gardener. Here are some ideas for flowering shrubs for […]