Choice plants in January
On clear frosty mornings or when tucked under a blanket of snow, the garden can look pretty magical, but it is never going to be at its best at this time of the year. While everything has died back to its bare bones, you do have the opportunity of seeing the underlying structure of the garden - and deciding if it needs an overhaul. At this time of year evergreens, especially those with a handsome profile come into their own and take centre-stage in the garden. The best winter gardens all have a high percentage of those plants which keep their leaves throughout winter, whether it be in the form of clipped topiary and hedging, or some well-placed bushy shrubs. As it is such a great time to start making plans for the year ahead you might like to add some of these to your wish-list.
On a more practical note, there are a couple of jobs that should not be ignored. If we do get heavy snow, make sure it is knocked off shrubs and small trees to stop them collapsing under the weight of it. You can also start to sow seeds of hardy annuals like sweet peas. This quick and easy project can be tackled at the kitchen table (while enjoying a mug of steaming tea) as long as you make sure the pots are left outside in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse once the seeds have gone in. It might seem a long way off, but come the summer, when you are picking lashings of their highly scented flowers, you will be thankful that you did.
Top six choices
Cracking Combination of the Month
As both these plants cope well in shadier locations, this combination is perfect for illuminating the area under deciduous trees and shrubs or for adding interest to the woodland floor. Ivy is most commonly grown as a climber, but if left unsupported this one can form a dense ground-covering blanket. The grey-green foliage of the Hedera, which is patterned with lush creamy variegations, harmonises perfectly with the lustrous deep green foliage and clear white flowers of the Helleborus. The result is a striking, yet naturalistic combination of colour and texture.
What it’s useful for:
A cottage garden favourite, which flowers in the depths of winter when most other plants are completely dormant - hence its common name of Christmas rose. They are durable, easy to grow, and will become drought tolerant once they have become established. They are perfect for providing ground cover in a woodland garden, or for planting in bold drifts through the front of the herbaceous border.
Why I like it:
A very beautiful form which is topping the wish-lists of the designers at the moment. All the hellebores that form the prestigious ‘Harvington’ group have been hand pollinated over many years by the renowned nurseryman Hugh Nunn, to produce plants that have exceptionally clear colours and attractive, evergreen foliage. In my opinion, this is one of their finest.
What it’s useful for:
I wish I had a penny for every time I had been asked to recommend a tough, trouble-free but decorative climber that provided year round interest, was attractive to wildlife and could cope with a bit of shade. This marvellous plant ticks all those boxes and more. Its woody, self-clinging stems, which are clothed in attractively variegated foliage, can be used to cover unsightly walls and fences in good time, where they will offer a handsome and permanent backdrop to more transient planting. Alternatively let the stems trail along the ground and they will provide a beautiful carpet of evergreen foliage.
Why I like it:
Over the years I think that ivies have got a pretty bad press. They wont damage a wall if the brickwork is sound, nor will they take over the whole garden if you choose the right one. ‘Glacier’ is not too boisterous, as it has an eventual height of around 2m, which is pretty short by most standards. It is versatile, attractive and very very useful. The RHS must think highly of it too as they have given it their Award of Garden Merit.
What it’s useful for:
This is an exquisite Camellia. It has beautifully formed, double flowers in the softest shade of pink. It is well suited to woodland planting, shrub borders and even informal screening, as long as it is growing in acidic soil with reliable moisture. It also makes an excellent choice for a large pot filled with ericaceous compost provided 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:
The papery bark is used in the manufacture of Japanese banknotes and the stems will make a tough rope. It is the tubular, yellow flowers however, which provide a vital source of nectar to pollinating insects throughout winter, that I think makes it deserving of a special place in the garden. Hardy to around –5C and closely related to Daphne, it makes a great under-storey plant in open woodland, or if you live in a colder part of the country, find a sheltered spot near a south-facing wall.
Why I like it:
The flower buds, which form in rounded clusters at the ends of the bare branches and are covered with silky white hairs, look like they have been dusted in icing sugar, so it is all wintry and lovely even before the first flowers open. Once they do however the scent is intoxicating, so make sure you plant it somewhere that you can take full advantage. It is still a bit of a rarity here in the UK too, so you could be the first on the block to have this one, which makes it ideal for those intrepid plant hunters amongst you.
What it’s useful for:
A lovely evergreen climber, with scented, pale cream, cup-shaped flowers, that are lightly speckled with red on the inside. The flowers appear over a reasonably long period throughout the winter and are followed by silky, silvery, seed-heads, so you can enjoy an extended season of interest. The scent is delicious and although it is best captured in a confined space, you should get a decent whiff if it is planted outside in a sheltered spot near to a path or entrance way.
Why I like it:
The foliage is much daintier than the other well-known evergreen Clematis (C.armandii), and it is also much less boisterous in habit. I think it is marginally hardier too, although it will need protection in colder areas of the country. If temperatures are too cold in your area, or the soil becomes really heavy and wet in winter, they can be grown in large pots and moved into an unheated conservatory or covered in fleece until the weather improves.
What it’s useful for:
A winter-flowering honeysuckle that will fill the air with its delicious scent throughout the cold weather. This deciduous shrub was raised by Hilliers' Nursery foreman Alf Alford in 1966 as a particularly free flowering form - and if you can find a sunny spot for it you wont be disappointed. The arching stems can be tied into a fan-shape to grow flat against a wall or fence and they can be cut and bought inside to make highly-scented winter flower arrangements.
Why I like it:
Stand next to it on a calm midwinter day and breathe deeply. The creamy-white flowers that develop along its bare branches are not big and flashy, but the smell is lemony and delicious, and it will waft a good distance. It is a strong plant that is very undemanding - apart from cutting it back after it has flowered if you want to keep it looking neat and tidy. If left to spread, it make a wonderful addition to a shrub border or woodland setting.
