JEARRARD'S HERBAL
26th April 2026
Calanthe 'Ginger Otter' .
It has been a windy week. It has been rattling the greenhouse in an alarming way and kept me from doing much out there. The wind has been strong but not too gusty
so I had hoped that the damage in the garden would be slight. Unfortunately another tree has blown down. It's only a small Lawsons Cypress and it was mostly dead
so it shouldn't take too long to clear out of the way. It fell blocking the main path into the garden but it doesn't seem to have done any damage as it came down
and it is close to the bonfire.
After many years growing Calanthe they are finally starting to prosper. Warm temperatures in the greenhouse and plenty of water seem to suit them.
I struggled for many years to get to that simple understanding and have killed a number of plants along the way, however this is the best year for flowering that I have ever had.
The plants look as though they are flowering with delight rather than flowering in desperation as an insurance against misadventure.
26th April 2026
Arisaema ringens .
The Arisaema here have also shown a strong preference for warm , moist conditions when they are growing. I only have a couple of species left and they are only prospering in the greenhouse.
There is a tiny plant of Arisaema ringens outside. It was a small division of the plant in the greenhouse when it went out, and it is still a small thing.
Meantime the pine tree that sheltered it has blown down and been cut up and removed. the Arisaema is flowering outside but it doesn't seem to have increased at all.
The plant in the greenhouse seems to benefit from a humid atmosphere and some relible warmth in summer. Grown in a large pot, it divides fairly frequently and makes a good show,
26th April 2026
Stachyurus salicifolius 'Fairytale' .
There are some really magnificent Stachyurus praecox in local gardens. Every time I see them in flower I am determined to plant one in the garden.
Unfortunately it is one of those determinations that requires all the pieces of the puzzle to fall into place. Where am I going to get it, where am I going to put it?
So far the puzzle remains unresolved.
However a chance visit to a garden centre in Surrey delivered S. salicifolius 'Fairytale' from the bargain bin and a determined amble around the garden
revealed a space. Sometimes opportunism delivers the best designs.
Over a couple of years the plant has established. It was on its last legs when I bought it but in a moist soil and some light shade it has grown new legs and started to flower.
It is an evergreen species and not as early or as spectacular as S.praecox but it is a start. It may be that the fates have turned to favour the genus.
26th April 2026
Paeonia mlokosewitschii .
In the new herbaceous border the spring growth of perennials is very cheering. The peonies have produced bold, upright stems, hostas are looking as though the slugs will never find them
and astilbes are covering the ground with fiery young growth. I listened to the wind howling for a few days and imagined the new growth up there, blown over and desiccated.
It was a surprise to discover that the peonies had escaped damage and that this P.mlokosewitschii had flowered in the face of adversity.
There are three P. mlokosewitschii seedlings up there and I am still hoping for the primrose yellow flowers that have made the species
popular in gardens. This pink blushed white is delightful and I understand that it is within the colour range of the species, but it isn't quite what I had hoped for.
On the plus side, it is standing up and producing a flower.
After a complicated week I can just about manage the former but the latter would be newsworthy.