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.
11th May 2008
Rhododendron 'Kirin' .
Years ago I was persuaded to buy a large number of evergreen azaleas from a nursery in Dorset and drove the overloaded
car 200 miles home with the back axle grinding along the road and the headlights pointing up at the moon.
Many of them I sold on again but I kept enough to plant around the garden and a couple of decades later they are still
one of the brighter notes of May. Most of the names have been 'misplaced' through the years, most of the plants
have been moved repeatedly round the garden and only the very obvious ones like 'Kirin' can still be
identified. They need exactly the right balance of sun and shade to look good. Too much shade and they don't flower.
Too much sun and they flower to terrifying excess and the bleached flowers cling to the branches
like chewing gum in a childs hair.
11th May 2008
Roscoea cautleyoides 'Mauve' .
The Roscoea are starting to emerge in force - nothing from the R.purpurea yet, but there is an overpowering sense of subterranean
rumbling in their pots. This mauve form of R.cautleyoides has burst free of its underground bed and rushed into full flower in a matter of days
as though it had overslept on a monday morning and was late for the bus. In the process, it has neglected to put on any leaves, but it will rectify this
over the next month or so.
11th May 2008
Polygonatum x hybridum 'Golden Gift' .
The hybrid Polygonatum is a marvellous plant. There is a large clump arching rather stylishly under some Alders outside my back door.
This yellowish leaved form is a curious addition to the tribe, though when it is suited it can be spectacular. The leaves are mostly green
but get a frosting of yellow on the most exposed surfaces. I haven't yet found a suitable place for it in the garden, so for now it lurks in a pot
, though I suspect it would be more vigorous in the ground.
11th May 2008
Caltha palustris var. barthei .
The Marsh Marigolds make spectacular golden mats of flowers. This very strange orange-red flowered form has been introduced to cultivation recently
from China and although it has a reputation for fussiness it has prospered here so far. On a hill as steep as my garden,
natural bogs are always going to be something of a rarity, so for the moment it lives in a pot in a bucket of water,
which is rather less elegant than it deserves.
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.
If you want to contact me, the address is infoMONKEYjohnjearrard.co.uk
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