Rec and Sports

Alders are often planted near water or in moist areas, but their ornamental attributes are often overlooked. Even the native forms, have interest. The cut- or golden-stemmed forms acid variety and interest, making them worth planting provided they are in the right type of soil. The soil is acid or alkaline. but prefers moist soil; dislikes very dry conditions

It has an upright main stem;. some forms have pendulous branches. It is deciduous, dark green and oval, with shiny upper surfaces and light grey-green undersides, some finely indented; good yellow autumn foliage It has brown catkins, opening to yellow in spring, followed lo brown nuts in autumn and winter

It is used as individual specimen trees for winter stem effect or for group planting; interesting feature when grown on a trunk or as a low-branching shrub. It propagate by seed or by commercial layering or grafting. Its varieties includes A. capillipes bark purple-red to coral-red when young ageing- to purple with white veining; A. griseunt 7 not truly a snake-bark maple but has very attractive mahogany -brown winter stems; A. grosseri var. hersii (Hers’s maple); green to grey-green marbled bark; A. ponsylvanicum (moosewood, striped maple) bright green young shoots, ageing to grey-green with white-striped veining; A. rufinerve – white-striped winter bark The diversity and range of forms of chestnut are not always appreciated. The coloured flowers and the attractive summer and autumn foliage contribute to an interesting, if very. large tree. while in autumn the fruits of Aesculus hippocastaman are collected by children as conkers.

Interestingly, the Abutus flowers, which hang in small clusters like waxy lily-of-the-valley blooms, are borne in autumn a whole year before they turn into fruit. Therefore. each autumn the tree bears both flowers and fruit at the same time, both set off by the attractive, dark evergreen foliage.

It survives in all types, except extremely alkaline; requires high levels of organic material. It requires full sun to light shade. It is bushy, moderately slow, attractive waiter stems. It has evergreen, dark green leaves with paler undersides and purple shading and veining. It has pure white or pink-tinged, waxy, cup-shaped, pendent flowers in autumn, followed a year later by yellow- red, strawberry-like fruit. It is used as a free-standing specimen shrub and, eventually, a small tree. It propagate from seed or semi-ripe cuttings taken in early summer.

It propagate from seed or by commercial budding or grafting. Its varieties includes A. x cameo `Briotir large, dark red-pink flowers; A. flava (sweet buckeye) – yellow to pale yellow florets borne in-upright panicles;A, hippocastanum (horse chestnut) – white flowers patched red at base produced in large conical panicles; A. h. ‘Bautnannii’ (syn. A. h. `Fiore Pleno’) large, double, white flowers; A. indica ‘Sydney Pearce’ upright panicles of white florets blotched with yellow and red; A. pavia (red buckeye) – bright red florets.

read comments (0)

A cause of infinite regret is that no member of this beautiful genus will tolerate the slightest trace of lime, no matter how disguised with peat. There are no better evergreen shrubs than the Tree Roses whose members range in height from the 30-ft. splendour of Rhododendron sinogrande to the prostrate posturing of R. repens. The evergreen species can be used as a background contrast to later flowering shrubs.

Rhododendron calostrotum is suitable for the smaller garden at 12 in. high, its grey foliage reflecting the charm of the crimson-magenta flowers. R. ciliatum is bud tender which means the flowers are lost occasionally. Given reasonable shelter the risk is well worth while, for the fragrant bell-shaped flowers open with those of daffodils and primroses. Ultimate height is about 4 ft.

Mrs G. W. Leak is so utterly reliable that no frost has yet marred the array of pink flowers, each with a purple blotch at the throat. To this must be added the ability to resist the most vicious east wind. I use Pink Pearl with restraint. It is strong growing and with a rather loud rose-pink colour needs careful handling.

Named varieties are only obtained true to type from layers, and this is the most reliable method for all rhododendrons. Branches should be pulled down then tongued into the compost of peat and sand. I make certain all is secure with a heavy stone which acts as a moisture-holding mulch as well. I do raise dozens ofplants from seed, especially the azaleas, all have so far proved worth the effort. Sow in spring into a 2 peat, 1 sand compost.

The sumachs are delightful in leaf and flower. Their cultivation presents little or no problem except in the most exposed garden with an intractable soil. The North American Rhus copallina has pinnate leaves which turn a rich glowing red with the first frost of autumn. Most gardeners will be well content with the Stag’s Horn Sumach, B. typhina, which reaches 8 ft. here. The felted stems and long pinnate leaves are extremely effective. I grow it on a sloping bank surrounded by yellow-foliage plants so that the blaze of orange and purple of the dying leaves gets full appreciation.

Dairymaid, with compact trusses of pale yellow flowers blotched scarlet, has reached 4 ft. with me after 10 years. Elizabeth is a low- growing shrub for a peat garden and often blesses the cultivator with two crops of clear blood-red flowers, one in May and the other in August. Hawk is a neat bush flowering late in June when the season gives way to the rose. A good rich yellow-petalled blossom, it presents a strong challenge to beguile the gardener from the joys of the queen of flowers.

read comments (0)

Rosa alba Celestial makes a tall bush of 6 to 8 ft., grey leaved and superlatively lovely in a glory of pale pink sweetly scented flowers. R. banksiae lutea needs a sheltered, sun-warmed wall to show its true quality. The straw-yellow flowers are individually small yet carried in noble profusion ; the soft yellow flowers are followed by dark red hips.

Eventually, caution cast to the winds, I planted the False Acacia, Robinia pseudoacacia, and now my only regret six years later is that timidity deprived me of its company for so many years. The foliage has a cool elegance and the flowers in July are pale cream and faintly fragrant.

I grow all the forms of R. moyesii available and when named varieties are exhausted I experiment by growing more from seed. R. moyesii Geranium is more compact than most with the typical delicate leaves, orange-scarlet flowers, and flask-shaped hips, while Sealing Wax has red flowers followed by orange hips backed by the soft yellow dying leaves. Nevada with white blooms and the bud sport Marguerite Hilling with pink- should also be included here for both have R. moyesii as parent. R. xanthina Canary Bird has the beauty of finely divided leaves with small canary yellow flowers in June, followed by vivid red hips.

Robinia pseudoacacia tortuosa avoids the epithet curious by achieving, in spite of the distorted branches, a countenance that demands admiration. This contortion of the branches shows the underside of the leaves which is lime green to intermingle with the rich lustrous colour of the upper surface. R. hispida can be effectively grown against a wall.

The somewhat exotic tree poppies can be herbaceous in severe winters, but they are so attractive when the bluish foliage is adorned with golden-stamened, white flowers that it would be a serious omission not to include them.

They grow so readily from root cuttings that if one so wishes, colonies could be started in well- drained soil anywhere in the garden. Romneya coulteri starts to open enormous flowers 5 to 6 in. across in July, and unless maltreated continues until October. R. trichocalyx is lighter in foliage, more upright in habit, but otherwise for garden purposes identical.

read comments (0)

Spiraeas have filled so many ugly gaps for me that it would be easy to take them for granted were they not such attractive shrubs. Most species have a graceful arching branching system, dainty foliage, and white flowers, except in the species Spiraea x bumalda.

Foam of May, S. x arguta, looks like a shrubby maidenhair fern with cascades of white flowers in May on bushes 4 ft. high. S. x bumalda Anthony Waterer astonished me last year by producing cream- coloured leaves on one bush, but apparently this is not uncommon. The crimson flowers are borne on stiff upright 3-ft. high stems and are a little too prim and precise for my taste.

Of this genus none can rival our native Rowan or Mountain Ash. Even when grown in some suburban gardens the deeply divided leaves and orange-scarlet berries hint of the wide reaches of moor and lonely upland loch. First, in alphabetical order must come the whitebeam, Sorhus aria, with leaves which are green on the upper surface and silver grey underneath. The fruits in autumn are highly coloured and irresistible so far as the birds are concerned.

Propagation is by hardwood cuttings in December, or in the case of S. x arguta, half- mature side shoots 2 to 4 in. long with a slight heel, put into a compost of 2 sand, 1 peat. Most beautiful arching branching system, white flowers, except in the twnalda. Foam of May, S., a shrubby maidenhair fern white flowers in May on bushes.

Senecios are natives of New Zealand and are shrubs which I like to see in association with the stone work provided by a house wall, terrace or patio. This is possibly because the shelter and reflected warmth encourage healthier growth. Senecio elaeagnifolius, with thick leathery leaves felted underneath with brown indumentum, is a good shrub for the coastal garden, but needs the comfort of a wall inland. The form buchananii is smaller at 18 in. compared to the species 36 in., and qualifies for a place in the rock garden. The flowers are unfortunately rather nondescript. S. greyii makes up for its brethren’s modest demeanour by making a neatly rounded bush of silver-grey leaves upon which the yellow daisy flowers sit with a modest decorum, if such a contradiction in terms is possible.

Sorbus decora nana is living proof that a name change does not mean aq:change in quality, for by botanist decree we must now call it S. scopulina. This is an excellent miniature tree up to 10ft. in height and being very fastigiate in habit it needs little room. In spring the white flowers nestle in the dark green pinnate leaves while in autumn the same foliage makes a perfect foil to the red berries. Sorhus vilmorinii is a gem, a photographer’s near-perfect subject in autumn. The growth of my plants is shrub-like up to 12 ft., and the foliage delicate and fern like, changing in autumn to deep pink. The berries also are unusual in that after turning red they then change to dog rose pink.

read comments (0)

The species H. paniculata grandiflora makes a very impressive sight in late summer, especially when the shoots are thinned to allow full development. The branches arch over with the weight of the panicles which open first to white then fade to pale pink. H. villosa is one of the loveliest of the late summer-flowering species with large lilac-blue inflorescences.

Internodal cuttings of side shoots will root in sandy compost with most varieties. With paniculata, however, layering of the previous year’s growth offers the more reliable increase.

The various forms of H. patulum provide the gems of the genus with henryi the first to flower. Growth is strong, upright, up to 4 ft., with the individual golden-yellow flowers, 2 in. in diameter, opening in succession from July into late autumn when the leaves turn bronzed purple.

Hidcote would be my choice were restricted to one representative of the genus. Though the ultimate height can reach a rather overpowering 6 ft. with moderate or severe pruning this can be adjusted to fit within a prescribed planting pattern. The golden-yellow flowers, each with a paler boss of stamens, glow as if polished even on the dullest day. Rowallane grows only in the warmest corner, a lovely plant with cupped flowers If in. across, of perfect shape and texture; a tender, delicate beauty who despises the dankness of winter so much she would rather die than endure it.

The species propagate readily from seed or pieces sliced off with a sharp spade. Named varieties can be increased by division or cuttings of semi-hardwoodside shoots in August. Pruning is restricted to thinning and heading back as desired.

The lacecaps have a quality of refinement in flower that the hortensis section lack. Bluewave is my favourite. Its gay flowers against the white trunks of silver birch, dappled with the pale sunshine filtered through a canopy of leaves. are an established part of the September scene here. Bluewave is closely followed in my affections by mariesii which in my soil has some blue florets while the remainder stay rosy pink. I have only seen Seafoam in a sheltered garden on the Welsh coast where its blue and white flowers amongst golden conifers looked superb. An inhabitant of a corner of the woodland here for seventeen years has been veitchii. The dark green foliage indicates a vigour denied by the parsimonious manner with which the florets, first white then fading to pink, are produced.

read comments (0)

An excellent basis for a display of this kind is an old tea trolley, on which a tray can be placed for accommodating the plants. An inch or two of wet gravel on the tray, on which the pots may he placed, will greatly improve the plants’ performance.

It would not, however, he wise to move plants about to too many different locations as they do very much better once they have become adjusted to a particular environment, and can remain there.

Being mobile there is also the added advantage of being able to take plants into the kitchen, or out of doors for that matter, in order to attend to maintenance, watering, feeding and so on. Need it he added that plants should not be taken out of doors on cold days, as a sudden temperature change even for a short period can be particularly damaging.

This is anotherreason why one should purchase plants from a retailer who has heated premises, and insist on plants being properly wrapped and protected before taking them out of the shop.

Also, when you purchase a plant don’t be too shy to ask for some advice on its culture, as you arc likely to learn a great deal more from the raiser of the plant. The grower may complain to his colleagues that with every plant he sells he has to give in advice and time what amounts to about half the value of the plant.

Strip lights are best as they give better coverage over the area occupied by plants, but whatever type of lighting is used it is important to ensure that the lights are sufficiently far from the plants to prevent them being scorched. This is particularly important in respect of spot lights which generate considerably more heat.

read comments (0)

Acquiring plants and moss and arranging them in a container to provide an attractive and practical display is only the beginning; there are numerous other requirements if success is to be the reward.

In order to succeed with indoor plants the provision of suitable growing conditions is one of the most important factors. Although the majority of plants should enjoy a light growing position only a few will tolerate full sunlight for prolonged periods. Consequently when exposed to full sunlight they will take on a hard appearance and lose much of their attraction.

For most plants weak morning and evening sun is not particularly harmful, but protection is important for all but a few on the hottest days. Covering plants with a sheet of newspaper will provide a temporary answer, but it is better to remove plants to less exposed positions when the weather is very hot.

The majority of plants are very much like people in their requirements – they enjoy light, a modest amount of fresh air, reasonable warmth, water and food as necessary and, above all, though it is often doubted, they do not want to die.

If only plants could tell us exactly how much water and fertiliser they require we could all grow plants of the most superb quality. But most of our knowledge has to be gained from experience in getting to know the sort of treatment and conditions each plant requires. Unfortunately it is not the sort of knowledge that is easily passed on, as plants that would seem to be almost identical in appearance may not need the same attention.

There are, of course, other ways of acquiring moss and my experience of doing just this in Killarney some years ago has always remained with me. When asked to stage a plant display at a florist’s conference I made what I thoffght were ideal arrangements for transportation of plants from the United Kingdom and provision of moss for setting up the display.

read comments (0)

Liriodendron tulipifera is better known as the Tulip Tree and it is readily identified by the characteristically shaped three-lobed leaves which look as if they had been clipped short with a pair of scissors. It is certainly not a tree for the small garden for it grows quite quickly to a considerable height.

Lavender creates a picture in itself of a quiet garden, warm under July sunshine, with rose beds and the paths between edged with this lovely grey-leaved, blue-flowered shrub. I used to pull the flower heads from the beds at home and tuck them down my shirt when mowing the lawn. This shrub needs care when grown on badly drained soil but presents no problems on the lighter loams.

The variety known as fastigiatum or pyramidale offers hope to the small garden for in this case all the growth is severely upright and not spreading.

The lovely blue-flowered shrubby borage has established itself firmly in my affections. Indeed, one could not help but admire the grey-green mat of leaves garnished for months in summer with blue blossom. The forms of Lithospermum diffirsum listed as Heavenly Blue and Grace Ward make excellent rock garden shrublets, the latter having the slightly larger flowers but less robust constitution.

Magnolia stellata will be found to fit more readily into the small garden landscape. It flowers at an early age but so early in the year that the youthful promise can be destroyed by the black-fingered frost. A little shelter for this precocious shrub, a planting of spring bulbs and hellebore for company and spring will be ushered in with a suitable entourage.

Lonicera is a mantle which covers both the hedging and climbing forms already mentioned but there is one species, Lonicera syringanthagrandiflora, a rather spreading shrub with glaucous grey leaves and very sweetly scented, soft lilac-coloured flowers in June to July, qualified for mention here. Give this shrub plenty of room, for it can cover a vast area in relatively few years. It is a pleasant plant which will grow well in most soils and is easily propagated by layers when required. Indeed, it roots branches without any practical help at all rather like cornus.

read comments (0)

Viburnums must surely qualify to rank with roses, forsythia, and the other aristocrats, because they include some of the most attractive shrubs one could possibly desire for winter and spring flowering. In almost every respect the trusses are beautifully fragrant. Soil type does not seem to matter. tbo much provided there is moderate fertility and no waterlogging.

Viburnum x bodnantense is a strong upright. sometimes suckeiling shrub which opens an unending succession of rose-coloured flowers from September until April. During periods of warm weather, the pall of winter is lifted briefly by the scent of the flowers. Dawn is one form which is consistently good with flowers a strong deep pink.

The best plants are those grown from layers in spring, but unfortunately most varieties, unless hard pruned, do not produce the right quality of wood low enough to be pegged down at soil level. Some will root from cuttings of semi-ripened shoots in July, but the task requires patience.

Tamarix supply a necessary contrast in vegetation down the border with their graceful slender branches, thin leaves and candyfloss inflorescences. They will not grow on badly drained soils for more than a limited period, nor will they endure a thin hot chalk, otherwise they are not hard to please.

A great favourite with me is V. davidii which makes a neat rounded, pleasing evergreen bush about 24 in. high. Now I have planted both male and female and instead of just getting white flowers I expect to be rewarded with a crop of turquoise berries as well. An abode in sun or full shade makes no difference to its well-being. V. fragrans is another which opens sweetly scented, pink-tinged flowers throughout winter. It is not quite so tall as V. x bodnantense at 5 ft. and it lacks the character necessary for a top-class shrub. There are many varieties of V. opulus, the Guelder Rose, with white flowers rather like those of a lacecap hydrangea and they include xanthocarpum which is yellow fruited.

In common with many I admire the gorses which set whole valleys alight with sunshine yellow in May. Gorse is essentially informal and refuses utterly to be reduced to growing with roses and other tame plants. It should be used on hot dry banks in company with the junipers and stronger heathers. The double flowering Ulex europaeus plenus is the best for the close confines of the smaller garden. Never give any member of the gorse family a rich soil or it runs to flesh and fails to flower. I first discovered the dwarf gorse U. minor flowering in October with calluna. Provided with a fairly arid soil, it will remain a neat compact bush with small golden-yellow flowers. Propagation is by means of cuttings of the current season’s growth, 3 to 4 in. long taken in August.

read comments (0)

I have a warm regard for plants which grow easily, flower profusely, and yet can be bounds without resorting to extreme measures. Kerria japonica will send out long arching branches up to 6 ft. in height, or sometimes 8 ft. when given a sheltered place. Whether the soil is heavy acid clay, or shallow well-drained chalk they can be relied upon to spread a creditable – mantle of yellow over green polished branches.

The double-flowered form is more gaunt and less elegant. The multiplied petals have a rather artificial, manufactured look unless the shrub is carefully placed. In the right setting, against a wall or on a bank with a dark background, the yellow pompon flowers make an impressive display and give it the common name of Bachelors’ Buttons.

Flowers are produced from the leaf axils in February through to April and are a deep rich yellow and delicately fragrant. Pruning is restricted to cutting back each flowering shogt in April to within two buds of the base. Jasminum officina.

Popular names can be misleading, but in the case of Kolkwitzia amahilis the sobriquet Beauty Bush is thorofighly merited. Introduced from Western china at the turn of the century, this very attractive shrub has not achieved the popularity its beauty of form and flower warrant.

Like the rhododendron, kalmia is a shrub which resents a soil with the slightest trace of lime. Given a medium to their liking, they make shapely evergreen bushes, 4 to 6 ft. high in the case of Kalmia latifolia, the Calico Bush. The bright pink flowers which are exquisitely formed with deep pink stamens merit close appreciation. Pruning consists of removing the dead flower heads.

Layering is the best method of increase for named varieties, usually performed in October. Cuttings taken in July root with a worthwhile percentage provided adequate attention is given to watering in hot weather.

read comments (0)