That used to mean that even in winter things should look cared-for, that dogwoods like “Midwinter Fire” should blaze out from the gloom and that scented shrubs like Lonicera fragrantissima should be sweetly in flower.
Now the requirement for winter neatness is changing to one for natural decay, with untidied-up seedheads (always shown looking frosted and beautiful, not floppy and dank) and bushes left rough for the benefit of wildlife.
Tidy or less so, year-round-interest is undoubtedly a good aim, but here I propose an easier variant. Instead of the whole garden always looking interesting and presentable, how about making sure there are always a few cheering sprigs to put into a jug on any day of the year?
The fact that I can do that comes down to having a few reliable plants to back up those with shorter times in flower. These include pittosporum, tradescantia, rose, geranium, honesty, euonymus, winter honeysuckle.
A jug of plants from Ruth’s garden: Pittosporum, Honesty, Tradescantia, Euonymus, hips from Rosa “Meg Merrilies”, Geranium radiata, Lonicera fragrantissima (winter honeysuckle). (Image: Ruth Pavey)
The plants I picked in early January are: Pittosporum, Honesty, Tradescantia, Euonymus, hips from Rosa “Meg Merrilies”, Geranium radiata, Lonicera fragrantissima (winter honeysuckle).
Pittosporums are mainly from Australasia, evergreen, shiny-leaved and excellent for cutting. This one is my neighbour’s, planted long ago and therefore nameless to us.
Honesty is wonderful at sowing itself and has pretty mauve flowers in spring, followed by the papery seedcases later on. I keep the purple tradescantia indoors because snails like it, but it is fairly hardy outside. Easy to propagate and a great colour to contrast with others.
The euonymus isn’t meant to be pale yellow, it should be variegated with green, but I love its occasional plain yellows.
The rose “Meg Merrilies” is a sweetbriar from 1894, named after the old romany woman celebrated by John Keats. Geranium radiata, with its fine-cut and lemon-scented leaves, flourishes outdoors in the summer but won’t stand a proper frost.
By contrast, the fragrant honeysuckle actually flowers in winter, a treat for humans and bumblebees. These plants are all good and undemanding, giving pleasure year after year for little effort.
Now here’s some good news – Peter Hulatt, Managing Director of Camden Garden Centre has been awarded the British Empire Medal in the New Year Honours List for services to the Camden Garden Centre Charitable Trust.
The Trust provides Traineeships for people with barriers to employment.
The Garden Centre and Trust were set up just over 40 years ago as one of the first Social Enterprises in the UK. It has helped over 400 trainees from various backgrounds with training and access to qualifications, to enable them to achieve long term employment, often their first ever job.
The Garden Centre has won numerous awards.
Peter says “I feel very privileged to receive this award, which I share with everyone involved with the Trust and Camden Garden Centre over the years – staff, trainees, Directors and Trustees and loyal customers.”
Peter will be receiving the Medal at a ceremony later in the year from the Lord Lieutenant of London.
