JEARRARD'S HERBAL
18th December 2022
Nerine seedling. .
During the autumn I had a wood-burning stove fitted in the house. That was a good move.
Cold weather hit the garden last weekend and has stayed here. The ground has been hard and white, the dark conifers have tiny pools of clear soil beneath them.
I went out to see if there was anything useful I could do, found everything movable frozen to the ground and so came back in again. I did go out to take some pictures
and found that early spring had blackened. There is a temptation to do a post this week entirely of dead flowers, but I have resisted it.
I wish I had taken more pictures of the garden white with frost. These are the things I forget in later years.
Fortunately, last night the clouds rolled in. Rain started in the middle of the night, has fallen all morning and is set to continue until tomorrow.
Temperatures have gone up and forecasts are mild for the rest of the year (I read them, I don't believe them).
With cheerful optimism, this Nerine seedling has flowered outside. It was one of many from the greenhouse that had nothing special going for it. With a wry chuckle
I planted them outside to test for hardiness, not expecting to see them again. Laughing on the other side of my face now (but still laughing). All around it the Nerine
are blackened. They may survive but they aren't happy. This seedling has continued and the flower has expanded. It is in the open beside the the water lilies, which have an inch of ice
over them, yet the stem is undamaged. This is one to save.
18th December 2022
Canarina canariensis .
Although air temperatures have dropped this week, the real problem has been radiation frost. In the clear nights the heat from the ground
radiates into the sky at a very rapid rate. Surface temperatures plummet, ground temperatures plummet, the chill can be rapid and savage.
All of this happens in the shortest days when there is least sunshine to warm things up again.
That is when Canarina canariensis chooses to grow. It comes from the Canary Islands, people flock there for warm winter holidays.
It is perverse to bring the plant back here and expect it to survive. It grows very rapidly from fleshy, summer-dormant roots. The stems and leaves are as soft as Impatiens.
That should serve as a warning. The last of the perennial Impatiens turned to black mush in the week, the Canarina was at risk.
I can only grow it in the greenhouse where there is a bit of protection from the translucent plastic overhead. It reduces the rate of radiation slightly.
Slightly has been sufficient so far. The tallest top growth is looking a bit limp, it may well shrivel, but lower down I still have a flower. Last year it managed to flower through
the spring. It is still possible that it will mount a resurgence. I think it is more likely to retreat back to its roots again,
duty done, one more year survived.
It is right on the boundary of possibility in the greenhouse, I don't believe it can be grown outside despite the claims of enthusiastic pundits.
I have never seen it outside anyway.
18th December 2022
Dendrobium Starsheen 'Botanic Fireworks' .
More reckless optimism from the greenhouse. Another case of poorly timed growth.
There are some lovely Dendrobium from Australia. Some of them are remarkably tolerant of low temperatures and the Australians have been hybridising them with gusto.
It is difficult to guess which of the Australian hybrids will tolerate cold, the only real solution is to test them. I have never succeeded with
Dendrobium bigibbum or hybrids from it, but it comes from the rainforests of tropical Queensland and New Guinea, hardiness would be a surprise.
Dendrobium kingianum is a much safer bet, coming from the eastern coast of Australia and certainly tolerant of occasional frost. Dendrobium Starsheen
is a hybrid that is about 27% D. kingianum, it seems to be tolerant enough to survive in the cold greenhouse here.
Unfortunately it has taken a leaf from the Canarina book and is determined to flower at Christmas. I got home on Tuesday and the first flowers had opened,
surviving the early days of the chill. I went out to take photographs yesterday and they had all drooped. I don't think they will recover, the cold got too much.
I think the plant will be fine. It might be a bit grumpy in early spring but it will grow out of it. I don't think I will have Christmas flowers to show off
this year.
18th December 2022
Grevillea victoriae .
The garden started to thaw yesterday. I was followed around by a hungry robin, hoping I would kick up some invertebrates for him. I tried my best.
There was a steady fall of blackened Camellia flowers as I passed. There are a few still showing colour, it hasn't been a floral disaster.
Up by the Agave house I have a collection of Nerine bowdenii forms. The early leaves have been pulped by the frost. Not a green speck of living tissue to be seen.
Perfect. I got the sprayer out and went over them. That will kill the perennial weeds and save a lot of trouble later. Think of it as an opportunity, 24 hours between
the thaw and the rain, perfect time for spraying.
Beside them, Grevillea victoriae has been staunch. I can't imagine a better word, it fits perfectly. The flowers have been untouched by the cold.
It is coming to the end of its display now but it won't rush. It will continue to flower here and there until spring is warm and the hungry robin is singing again.
Just a couple of days left, the winter solstice will come, days will brighten (very slightly), Christmas will be cheerful and the New Year will be warmer.
I'm a gardener, surrounded by dead Camellia flowers. Optimism is a delightful refuge.