JEARRARD'S HERBAL
Thats enough introduction - on with the plants!
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... out in the garden.
10th May 2026
Hyacinthoides non-scripta .
May has snuggled into the garden like a cat into a warm chair. We were promised a few hours of heavy rain, and they would have been very welcome,
but they didn't materialise. The garden is dry and sunny but the evergreen azaleas have not bleached yet so things are still looking bright.
Summer flowering shrubs have started. A month or so ago I went around with shears trimming the hydrangeas back to size and they are now covered in fresh growth.
No sign of flowers yet but they can't be far away.
However most of the garden has responded with a polite bow to the elegant curtsey of the bluebells. They are slowly invading all of the open spaces.
They are even appearing in the new herbaceous border, and before long they will be a dominant force during May. I'm not sure how that will affect the border
but I am going to wait and find out. I am not prepared to wage war on bluebells out of horticultural elitism. In their season they are magnificent.
10th May 2026
Clivia miniata .
For many years all of my Clivia lived in the greenhouse, where they took occasional low temperatures with brave fortitude. If I put a light covering over them in winter
they resist radiation frost, which otherwise destroys their leaves. Sometimes I forget or get caught out and the plants look a bit ragged for a few months, but they seem to survive.
In the last year or so I have moved a few special plants into the conservatory and before you know it, the space is full.
I don't grow plants in the house, it's a fools game, but I am a fool for Clivia.
Unfortunately with limited space I have to be ruthless. New seedlings flowering this year have to displace something and two old clumps of Clivia miniata had to go.
There have been a couple of reports of Clivia being grown in gardens locally so it was time for a test. This one was planted close under the canopy
of a Leyland Cypress. It will get cold but it will be dry and it should be protected from radiation frost. If it survives it will be an unexpected triumph.
Whatever happens, I have some lovely new seedlings flowering indoors.
10th May 2026
Cymbidium Sarah Jean 'Ice Cascade' .
The Cymbidium in contrast, are absolutely not coming indoors for the winter. I am not going to play the game of shuffling things about in spring and autumn.
Unfortunately Cymbidium tend to flower in winter and in the cold of the greenhouse the buds get spoiled. It is a quandary and I am trying to solve it by growing
late spring and summer flowering forms.
Cymbidium Sarah Jean 'Ice Cascade' is a modern hybrid that has taken the Cymbidium world by storm. Not by the usual route of cups and medals and awards,
those plants generally have a few months glory and then vanish into obscurity. 'Ice Cascade' has done it by being vigorous, floriferous and compact. You will
often find it flowering in a pot in garden centres. It won't be named but it is distinctive.
In my greenhouse it flowers in May and in a decent year escapes the worst ravages of winter cold. It always flowers and sometimes it is spectacular.
10th May 2026
Camellia 'Night Rider' .
If Cymbidium are fickle in this garden in winter then Camellia are reliable. They are so reliable that they would deserve a place as wind-breaks even if the didn't flower.
That was until I came along with my clever horticultural expertise and want to grow all the odd things. There are plenty of good red camellias,
why would I insist on growing 'Night Rider'. It is feeble, troublesome and often lacks the will to live. I know one plant in a local garden that has grown
tolerably well to about 1m tall, beyond that I know dead sticks and a few, like mine, whose grip on life has not yet been released.
On the plus side it has sensational scarlet flowers scattered through the dark foliage, precious rubies in a velvet box.
I am very fond of 'Night Rider', I try to help it along and I think kind thoughts.
If it were to die I don't think I would replace it. From time to time I would see it in a nursery and have a wistful moment but I will be happy enough if the
bluebells claim its space.
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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