Choice plants in February
Overall we have had an incredibly mild winter and therefore we have started to see an unusually early start to the spring growth. A cold snap is on the cards early in the month, which may slow things down a little, but it shouldn't be long until we really do start to see spring sprung in earnest. In the meantime the garden looks far from its best, so on sunny days I will be dusting off the secateurs and getting stuck in out there. All the perennials and ornamental grasses that I kept in autumn to provide winter interest will now get a short back and sides, and some of them may even be lifted and divided into smaller clumps. It always looks a bit drastic initially, but it means that I will be able to get a clearer view of the spring-flowering bulbs when they appear. If its mild towards the end of the month I may also get a head start on the roses and Clematis that need cutting back too. As soon as that’s done the beds will get a generous cover of mulch from the compost heap, and then they will be ready for all the lovely new growth to start. I can’t wait.
Top six choices
Cracking Combination of the Month
It is always nice to walk through the garden and catch a waft of perfume as you pass. Both of these plants have a delicious scent - although the violets may make more of an impact when they are gathered and placed in a bowl. This is a very pretty combination for the late winter garden and the combination of deep pink and purple is always a good one. It should be planted in a sunny, sheltered spot to make sure you get lots of flowers.
What it’s useful for:
The flowers, which appear in late winter and early spring are edible and look really pretty sprinkled into salads. They can also be dipped in sugar and used to dress cakes. The leaves are edible too and have a mild, peppery flavour. An essential oil that is extracted from the plant is widely used in perfumes and other cosmetic potions. In traditional medicine, the violet is said to help treat all manner of complaints including sore throats, headaches and insomnia - it does contain salicylic acid, which is used to make aspirin, so there should be some truth in it.
Why I like it:
It is such an easy plant to grow. It will spread to form carpets of weed-suppressing foliage in woodland gardens, but will also flourish in dry-stone walls or between paving slabs if there are small pockets of soil for it to settle into. The flowers have a deliciously strong scent and throughout the centuries it has been linked with love and romance. I know this because my dad would always make sure he had a big clump in the garden so he could give mum a hand-tied posie on anniversaries and other special occasions.
What it’s useful for:
With a little judicious pruning, the naturally shrubby habit of this plant can be tamed, so that it forms an upright tree with an eventual height of just 2.5m. This makes it an incredibly valuable addition to smaller gardens. Because of its compact form, it is also well suited to life in a large pot - provided of course it is kept well fed and watered. With this in mind, it will make a sublime specimen for really tiny spaces including balconies and terraces.
Why I like it:
This Japanese apricot produces its flowers a good three weeks before the early cherries, and it has a delicate charm that is lacking in many of the others. The flowers appear on the bare stems, so there is nothing to detract from their beauty, and they have a delicious almond scent. It makes a wonderful feature in an early spring border, especially when under-planted with colourful flowering bulbs. Also, the bitter fruits, which develop in late summer and autumn can be candied or used to make a sour jam.
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What it’s useful for:
This diminutive perennial grows from a tuber and will slowly spread to form a colourful carpet, which looks superb in areas of light woodland, or gardens with a naturalised planting scheme. It is shade tolerant, so makes a perfect partner for deciduous ferns, which will usually have died back by the time these little beauties come into their own. It is also a very useful gap-filler at the front of the border, and is well suited to alpine beds, seasonal window boxes and patio pots.
Why I like it:
I find it hard not to be charmed by the dainty flowers that pop up on slender stems from amongst the newly emerging foliage. You shouldn’t be fooled by their delicate appearance though, as this is probably the most robust and durable of all the cyclamens. The flowers come in every shade between white and rich plum, and the deep green leaves are often splashed with a silvery pattern, so you are always in for an unexpected treat when it appears for the first time.
What it’s useful for:
An exquisite Camellia that has beautifully formed, formal flowers. Each blush pink petal has a darker edge so the flowers have a picotee effect that is really rather elegant. It is well suited to woodland planting, and as long as it is growing in acidic soil with reliable moisture, it is pretty low maintenance. Camellias also make wonderful plants for pots and containers and even this tall growing variety will be happy cooped up in a very large pot if it is kept well fed and watered.
Why I like it:
When they were first brought to the UK from the Far East a couple of hundred years ago, Camellias were considered rare and exotic beauties. These days, there are thousands of different varieties, but they still consistently top the designers wish-lists. This variety is one of my favourites. Their dark, evergreen silhouette provides structure and interest throughout the year, and they are quite tolerant of shade - in fact they prefer not to be touched by the first rays of the morning sun. They also provide some very beautiful flowers throughout the darker months of the year. Brilliant!
What it’s useful for:
This is one of the best perennial wallflowers. It will keep on producing flowers from late winter to midsummer, and then, incredibly, if you remove the spent flower stems, it may produce a second flush in autumn. They do well in pots so can be used as a longer-lasting alternative to summer bedding, and can be cut and used in fresh or dried flower arrangements.
Why I like it:
I never miss an opportunity to waffle on about this plant. That is because I think they are true stalworts in the garden and offer great value for money. They may be short-lived (they usually need replacing every two or three years), but their ability to flower for months on end make them one of my all-time favourites. Plant them in a sunny, well-drained spot (ideally next to something with silver or bluish-grey foliage) and I suspect you will be won over too.
Goes well with:
What it’s useful for:
Incredibly versatile and tolerant, this handsome shrub takes tough, problem areas in its stride. It copes well with cold and exposed positions, dense shade and heavy clay soils, as well as atmospheric pollution. Forming attractive mounds of lustrous foliage, it is also one of the best evergreens to act as an anchor to more frivolous, seasonal planting. This is an invaluable plant for creating a decorative and easy to maintain, evergreen cover.
Why I like it:
I am often asked to recommend plants that look good throughout the year and have a long flowering period. Well, while the flowers of this evergreen shrub may not open until spring, the creamy coloured buds, which have already formed, look pretty decorative in their own right. As it is a male plant, you will not get the bright red berries that form on the female Skimmias, but these pyramidal clusters of buds, that last for several months are prominent enough to more than make up for it. When the buds finally burst open, the flowers have a delicious scent, which is an added bonus.
