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JEARRARD'S HERBAL

Thats enough introduction - on with the plants!
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... out in the garden.

17th January 2010



Galanthus 'Moccas' .
Who would have thought a week ago when the garden was entombed in ice, that the spring could be so close? The snow thawed rapidly and the temperatures have gone up and up. Plants that had come to a standstill in the cold weather have spent the latter part of the week catching up. For the last three weeks I have been hunting round the garden for interesting things to show here, but this week there is an embarrassment of riches, and some really wonderful things will have to wait for another day.
This snowdrop is one of the first to flower here every year, and is now quite magnificent - I have built up a large patch from a single original bulb I got from Helen Ballard in 1987. It is a form of 'Atkinsii' selected by Percy Picton that has regular flowers, unlike the selections that have the occasional extra tepal, although this one occasionally has flowers with four tepals so the distinction is not clear cut.


17th January 2010

Galanthus 'Melvillei' .
The snowdrops have burst out of the ground like an army of the undead driven by a dark desire to suck the blood of the living....no, actually it hasn't been much like that now I think about it , but they have grown very rapidly this week!
Galanthus 'Melvillei' originated at Dunrobin Castle in S.W.Scotland and commemorates D.Melville, head gardener to the Duke of Sutherland, who sent bulbs to a number of the snowdrop people of the day. The name was published in the Gardeners Chronicle in a report of the meeting of the Floral Committee of the RHS, where it was given a First Class Certificate on 25th March 1879.
I have had it for decades, but it has always been rather weak, and for many years I had difficulty working out why it had been selected, but a few years ago I planted it out in the woodland and it is finally starting to prosper. These are the largest flowers I have seen it produce, and it is a beautiful large rounded bloom that is looking perfect under the trees.


17th January 2010



Hamamelis mollis .
The Hamamelis had swelling buds when they were brought to an abrupt halt by the snow and ice. A few days of warmth has been enough to sprinkle the twigs of the early forms with flower. I haven't been able to detect much in the way of scent yet, but it will increase as more flowers open.
The yellow flowers of H.mollis are among the most impressive of the genus. I have some of the red flowered forms open as well (saved for another day) but they are almost invisible from a distance, and not very strongly scented. One day they will make a dense hedge to protect the Hellebores, but for the moment they are a charming detail rather than a wall of perfume.

17th January 2010



Romulea bulbocodium leichtlinii .
The Romulea are a confusing and sometimes weedy genus that I enjoy for their occasional surprise when everything else is being predictable. This large pale flowered form of R.bulbocodium has been in bud for a few weeks now, and the tips of the petals are rather twisted as a result of the repeated freezing and thawing over the last couple of weeks. Now the flower is open it is an exotic moment in a greenhouse that is still struggling with the problems of frost damage (which has so far been minimal, but it is still early).
There are a scattering of other swelling buds, full of promises for the future, that have to be taken with a pinch of salt - for a couple of years now the coldest and most destructive weather has hit at the end of January so we still have a few weeks to get through!



Acorus Alocasia Anemone Arisaema Arum Asarum Aspidistra Begonia Bromeliads Camellia
Carnivorous Cautleya Chirita Chlorophytum Clivia Colocasia Crocosmia Dionaea Drosera Epimedium
Eucomis Fuchsia Galanthus Hedychium Helleborus Hemerocallis Hepatica Hosta Impatiens Iris
Liriope Ophiopogon Pinguicula Polygonatum Ranunculus ficaria Rhodohypoxis Rohdea Roscoea Sansevieria Sarracenia
Scilla Sempervivum Tricyrtis Tulbaghia Utricularia Viola odorata Watsonia

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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