JEARRARD'S HERBAL
22nd December 2024
Galanthus 'Ginns Imperati' .
The weather has been warm. It is, perhaps, more accurate to say that the weather has been warm for the season. The slow approach of spring has continued,
the winter solstice has passed without mishap. Days are getting longer, though it is more of a promise than a perceived reality at present.
Notwithstanding, the camellias in the garden are more floriferous than they were when the days were shorter, the bulbs are further advanced
and at times the horizon has seemed brighter. I cheated on the horizon thing by spending a few days in Surrey. The sun is stronger there, the horizon brighter
and winter is more evident.
At home, snowdrops are starting to ease their way into the garden scene. Don't tread on the beds has become the message of the moment. When the Liriodendron
tumbled in storm Darragh I was delighted that it fell so neatly, delighted that it fell without taking anything else with it, and then horrified that there was a snowdrop
under there somewhere. Galanthus Lady something. I can't even remember who she is just yet but I know she's down there. The Liriodendron
has been sliced (thank you Mark) and removed (thank me John) and the snowdrop hasn't yet emerged so all is well (or it has been pushed back down and it isn't).
Lady somebody will regain her name when the spring sunshine thaws the memory. In the meantime 'Ginns Imperati' has flowered. A couple of years ago I made a new Snowdrop bed
and it seems to be working. Perhaps I will have a snowdrop celebration lunch on Wednesday.
22nd December 2024
Camellia sasanqua 'Paradise Vanessa' .
We haven't had a frost, the camellias have pushed forward into the spring gloom. To all intents and purposes it looks exactly the same as the autumn gloom
but we all know better. The solstice has passed, this is the bright, positive gloom of spring and not the dull, declining gloom of autumn.
To mark the occasion, the autumn camellias are ending. 'Paradise Vanessa' will probably be the last. There are a few other Camellia sasanqua
forms in the garden that haven't flowered but they have only been planted in the last year or two, they are still establishing. At the top of the garden
I have looked for flowers on Camellia 'Yuletide' and not found them. It is a fantastic scarlet Camellia with a perfect name to sell it.
Unfortunately it fails to live up to the seasonal promise. Those flowering in garden centres at the moment have been kept warm to encourage them. I don't expect to see it in bloom
outdoors until the end of January.
As the Paradise camellias fade, Dr Ackerman's "Winter" hybrids have taken over. 'Winters Snowman', 'Winters Interlude' and 'Winters Toughie' are all in flower.
They will all sail through a cold snap and a few cold nights will rouse the spring hybrids from sleep. The glimmer of spring sunshine will burst into bloom.
22nd December 2024
Correa alba 'Pinkie' .
Christopher Robin had a stair where he liked to sit (Halfway Down, A.A. Milne). Halfway up the stairs isn't up and it isn't down. It is the sort of place where
I might find Correa alba 'Pinke'. I don't think it is quite hardy but on the other hand it isn't really tender. I grow it in the Hedychium house
but it grows right by the open door. I say open door, there isn't actually a door, that fell off years ago. I grow it right by the open.
Wispy stems explore the outside world through the gap. It hasn't been troubled by cold weather though it was put there several years ago.
It flowers through the autumn and is still hanging on as spring takes over. There are a great many things that I should do in the garden.
Propagate the Correa is one of them. Give it a try in a sunny spot and see if it surprises me.
One day I will get around to it. Until then the Correa will occupy the curious halfway space. Not quite inside, not really out.
It will flower at the curious halfway season, not quite winter but not really spring. It's a good place to think.
22nd December 2024
Nerine 'Christmas Dreams'.
The passage of autumn has been most marked in the Nerine house. In a matter of weeks it has passed from the vibrant display of October
to the placid green carpet of winter. The flowers have gone, the leaves have emerged. I have a few plants of Nerine sarniensis
in the garden that are just starting to produce leaves. I have been watching the bare space in the ground and wondering if they are dead yet.
They don't have a reputation for hardiness but I think they might establish given a mild year. A few green leaves are an optimistic sign.
There are also some signs of the warmth to come. Nerine 'Winter Sun' is producing flower spikes. The booms should open in January.
'Fish River Pass' has a cluster of tiny shoots that will develop into flower spikes. It will flower in February and March
and end the Nerine season. By then the greenhouse will be warm and the next sign of Nerine flowers will be an early warning that the
summer season is ending.
In the meantime the week is closing with 'Christmas Dreams'.