Author: HortPage 14 of 17
An apt name for a flower that bursts into colour at the start of the growing season. Iris ‘Vivacious Beginnings’ is one of several cultivars new to the…
The sand bench within the alpine house contains a swathe of colour. Spring bulbs in full bloom are always a welcome show after the winter. Yellow, the predominant…
Lonicera caerulea var. glabrescens; sparse to flower and when it does, the terminal and auxiliary cluster are small and relatively insignificant. This is a late winter flowering multi…
Deep loamy clay soil suits this bulbous Iris presently in flower in the alpine house. With the proviso that when watering none should fall on the foliage. Collected…
Days are lengthening and the soil is warming. At this time of year be aware of the weed population shooting up and flowering. Catch the winter “keepers” now….
Helleborus orientalis found growing through southern Europe and into SW Asia. Seed to grow this plant was collected in Georgia from a plant growing with Primula sp. on…
Carpeting the ground beneath Picea orientalis are the remains of cones that have been stripped of seed by the Gardens grey squirrel population. They have systematically worked their…
Duchesnea indica carries an interesting berry resembling a miniature strawberry. This invasive stoloniferous ground covering plant was introduced from Taiwan where it was growing in sub-tropical rainforest. Quite…
On the peat walls is a specimen of Gaultheria semi-infera native to western China and the Eastern Himalaya; where it was found growing at 2900metres in the Arun…
The forecast New Year’s Day storm did not materialise, allowing the Castle fireworks to herald in the start of 2014 with a great colourful spectacle. Storms blew in…
Euonymus spraguei is a recent introduction from Taiwan, found growing in cool temperate coniferous forest from 1100 – 2800m in association with Chamaecyparis formosensis, Pinus armandii, P.taiwanensis, Tsuga…
The glossy red berries of the Eurasian Viburnum opulus are a treat for bird life at this time of year. This plant is also trying to send out…
Camellia sasanqua, an evergreen bush itself is tucked away beneath an even greater evergreen behemoth. Yet even in this shady situation opposite the arid land house managing to…
Just as the dampness of the short days creeps into our bodies so does the fabric of the plant world slowly decay. These images of seed pods illustrate…
Now that deciduous foliage has fallen, the canopies of trees and shrubs are opened up. An ideal time to prune. During the dry summer we had this year,…
Fruits abound this autumn, some less noticeable than others. Tucked away in the rock garden’s east valley is Euonymus nanus. As its name suggests this is a dwarf…
With the protection of the alpine house this pan of Scilla lingulata var. ciliolata sunk into the sand bed is flowering exceptionally well. An added bonus is the…
Bright sun sets off the pallet of colours that autumn brings. This image shows Betula lenta on the Azalea lawn. A seven year old sapling grown from seed…
Weeding through the border carefully, and before a size 10 tackety boot crushed it, eagle eyed, we spotted a seedling of the Monkey Puzzle tree, Araucaria araucana. An…
Dianella ensifolia has bamboo like growth, sprouting from a rhizomatous root system. With a distribution through the Old World Tropics it has flourished in a tub positioned beneath…