Acer palmatum 'Osakazuki'
Japanese maple
- Position:partial shade
- Soil: fertile, moist, well-drained, acid-neutral
- Rate of growth: average
- Hardiness: fully hardy
- Pruning: none required
This Japanese maple is grown mainly for its spectacular autumn colour, perhaps the best of all the maples. It has an open habit, and its large, seven-lobed, bright green leaves turn brilliant scarlet in autumn and last for several weeks. It prefers a sheltered, shady spot, and looks dramatic silhouetted against a tall hedge or modern building. - Garden care: Plant in a sheltered spot, away from cold winds. Dig in a hole twice the size of the root ball, add well-rotted organic matter and stake when young. Do not allow to dry out while it is getting established. Protect young trees from winter frost with a 10cm mulch of organic matter, taking care to leave space around the trunk of the tree. No routine pruning is required, just remove any dead, damaged or crossing branches in late autumn or winter when they are fully dormant.
Sarcococca confusa
sweet box
Sweetly scented, pure white flowers December to March
Pulmonaria 'Diana Clare'
lungwort
A striking combination of foliage and flowers
Hosta 'Big Daddy' (sieboldiana hybrid)
plantain lily
Enormous, grey-green, puckered leaves
Clematis 'Romantika'
clematis (group 3)
Stunning, almost black blooms
Japanese
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Light the autumn fire with this scarlet woman, the brightest most-brilliant red from any Japanese acer in September - also red-winged fruits in spring
Val Bourne - Garden Writer