JEARRARD'S HERBAL
Thats enough introduction - on with the plants!
To navigate this site use the links above or the detailed links at the bottom of this page.
... out in the garden.
20th April 2025
Allium ursinum 'Golden Fleece' .
Easter has arrived with a deluge. We have had some decent rain at last. It isn't ever convenient when it happens but it has made a big difference,
the garden had become very dry and the water tanks in the greenhouse had almost emptied. The general feature that I have noticed most this week has been the new growth.
The Acer palmatum cultivars are going through their first phase of wonder. The hydrangeas have also produced paired growths studded along the stems.
Most of them are fresh green that is cheerful in 'jolly good show' sort of way. H. 'Jofloma' breaks the mould in golden-yellow and 'Love You Kiss' is a sensuous brown
that I might call purple if I had to describe it.
Under the camellias along the front hedge a single golden leaf has appeared. I have had a careful look at it and I think it belongs to
Alium ursinum 'Golden Fleece. It is a thing of joy, despite the rampant invasiveness of the species. I had the original plant in a tub, hoping that
it would spill seedlings into the border but they didn't appear. I found one growing in the path a few yards away but I haven't seen it recently.
In the end I planted the contents of the tub into the border and have crossed my fingers. I didn't see it last year so this is a hopeful sign,
or a hart's tongue fern.
20th April 2025
Berberis valdiviana .
I have a row of camellia that divide the top of the garden from the lower parts. For many years I have quietly ignored them, appreciating their
sturdy efforts at breaking the wind and not wanting to look too hard at the brambles establishing among them. Last year I gritted my teeth and removed
the brambles. It isn't the final word on the problem but it is a start. In the process I re-discovered some camellias that I knew I had but couldn't actually place.
I wondered what feverish confusion inspired me to plant a Eucryphia a foot away from Magnolia grandiflora, and I released Berberis valdiviana
from the weedy shade it was inhabiting. It hasn't reached into the sun yet, the Magnolia may prevent that ever happening, but it has some space
and air-flow around it at last.
To be honest I don't think the extra space has affected its flowering but it has made it much easier to take pictures. If I'm lucky it will
also allow it to set seed. The old plants growing at Rosemoor set fruits prolifically but I have never seen any on mine. If I had fruits then I might get seeds
and if I had seeds I might be able to grow some more plants. That would be a good thing.
20th April 2025
Erythronium 'Pagoda'.
The same row of camellias that shelter the lower garden from wind, serve to hide the top woodland from view. In the spring when the woodland flora is delightful
it produces a marvellous surprise. For the rest of the years, when the woodland is calming and dull, it keeps it well hidden.
At present there are occasional gaps where tufts of bramble have been removed. It allows occasional glimpses of the Erythronium
in full bloom.
This was my first attempt at creating a large drift of colour in the garden and it has been a great pleasure for many years. Like most gardeners I tend to buy one
of everything on the principle that I will propagate it and spread it around. Buying bulbs by the sackful was a revelation, allowing an instant effect.
I saved myself a decade, possibly even two, by planting these all at once. Snowdrops and Corydalis come before them, Colchicum follow in autumn.
Anemone nemorosa fils the gaps and I am still hoping that Tulipa sprengeri will get going (though it isn't looking good).
I'm a lazy gardener, this corner suits me very well.
20th April 2025
Arum creticum 'Karpathos'.
I have a bit of a 'thing' for Arum but it presents a quandry. I have a few selections of Arum italicum from my mothers garden that I am very fond of,
but the species is unspeakably vigorous. I grow them in tubs to keep them from spreading, but they have started to escape. Seedlings appear in the borders
and I grit my teeth and smile benignly. I love them: I wish they weren't there.
Arum maculatum is another menace but it cheers me. There is a seedling under the trees in the woodland. I have intended to kill it for several years now,
to stop it from spreading,
but I still haven't done it. I do cut the flowers off before the berries form which might slow it down.
I have started a trial to establish Arum creticum up there. If it works then it will add diversity to the Erythronium season. I have put in two plants
and they have survived for two years. It isn't a rampant success but it keeps the option open. I have one other plant in the garden, tucked in below a Rhododendron.
It flowers sporadically and last week was one of its sporads.
It last flowered in 2017. I am already anticipating 2033.
To find particular groups of plants I grow, click on the genus name in the table above. Click on the "Index" box at the top of the page for the full list.
I have a lot of good intentions when it comes to updating this site, and I try to keep a note
about what is going on, if you are interested.
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Perhaps my MONKEY will fool them.