Garden Answers December 2022

FESTIVE CHEER Create a container that takes you from winter to spring on p14; topiary at wintery Hever Castle and Gardens, p64 What a record-breaking year 2022 has been, and not always for the right reasons. The extremely hot weather in summerwas a challenge for many gardens, reducing lawns to brown mats and shrivelling and scorching plants. The weather made me think again about the kind of gardening I’ll be doing in future; growing more heat-tolerant Mediterranean plants and perhaps replacing the grass with a gravel garden. I might even start growing wonderful sasanqua camellias – which Sue Fisher writes about on page 30 – they’re widely grown in Australia and California, so must be pretty heat-tolerant! The good news is that gardeners can adapt to the coming changes like…

1Bundles of dogwood stems add flashes of fire among the baskets; they’ll last for several months like this, but tie them together to keep them neat. 2 No festive scene is complete without rosy berries. Crab apples are bigger than most and make a notable statement, but skimmia and gaultheria are easy-to-find options. 3 Winter-flowering heathers add a warm pastel glow. Pretty pink Erica darleyensis (H30cm/ 12in S60cm/2ft) produces flowers in time for Christmas.…

CHIC COLLECTION Raise your spirits during the dark days of winter with this chic collection of seasonal flowers and foliage in a rustic wooden crate. Star of the show is Helleborus niger, also known as Christmas rose (H&S40cm/16in) with its elegant snow white blooms, which shine whatever the weather. Providing a zingy contrast is evergreen shrub Skimmia confusa ‘Kew Green’ (H1m/3ft 3in S1.5m/5ft), which has lime-coloured buds that open to produce creamy-white, fragrant flowers in early spring. Tumbling over the edge of the crate are the trailing stems of variegated ivy Hedera helix ‘Glacier’ (H&S2m/6½ft) with their leaf colouring echoed by Euphorbia characias ‘Silver Swan’ (H1m/3ft 3in S1.2m/4ft).…

DELVE INTO DESIGN Garden expertise IF YOU FANCY learning the tricks of the trade from some of the best garden designers out there, one of the short courses at the newly established Yorkshire School of Garden Design could be just the ticket. Based at Harewood House between Harrogate and Leeds, the school was set up by award-winning landscape designer Alistair Baldwin who is lead teacher on several of the courses. Courses include: ● A3-day Introduction to Garden Design (21 and 28 Feb and 7 March, £450+ VAT) with designers Pollyanna Wilkinson and Ula Maria as guest teachers. ● Designing with Plants – the know-how behind the beauty (2, 9 and 16 May, £450 +VAT) ● Seasonality and Layering – planting for a year-round display (5 and 6 June, £300 +VAT).…

ANEMONE ‘MOUNT EVEREST’ Snow white double-flowering St Brigid Group anemone can be grown in beds, pots and as a cut flower. ✿ H25cm/12in S15cm/6in £3.40/10 bulbs Farmer Gracy 0330 808 7304; farmergracy.co.uk ADENOPHORA PERESKIIFOLIA ‘WHITE BLAZE’ A close campanula relative, this perennial has upright spikes of purple-flushed white bellflowers. ✿ H1.2m (4ft) S30cm/12in £8.99/9cm (31/2in) pot, Crocus 01344 578000; crocus.co.uk AGROSTEMMA GITHAGO ‘BIANCA’ This hardy annual corncockle has large, pure white, silky petals; it’s happy growing on poor soil. ✿ H90cm (3ft) S45cm (18in) £2.35/101 seeds, Chiltern Seeds 01491 824675; chilternseeds.co.uk MUSCARI ‘IVOR’S PINK’ An unusually coloured grape hyacinth with purple flowers fading to pink and then white. ✿ H&S15cm (6in) £17/10 bulbs, Hayloft 01386 562999; hayloft.co.uk HYDRANGEA ‘SUMMER BRIDE’ T&M’s own bred lacecap hydrangea with fringed…

A Native to Mexico these festive plants are popular indoor plants because of their colourful, typically red, bracts which surround tiny central flowers. B An evergreen perennial with dark green, leathery leaves and pure white, bowl-shaped flowers, it shares part of its name with a classic summer bloom. C An attractive houseplant with heart-shaped, marbled foliage and upswept petals in white or shades of pink or red. D This tender daffodil with incredibly strong perfume is typically planted indoors in autumn so that its flowers appear in time for Christmas. E This evergreen shrub is normally associated with spring blooms but this festivally-named cultivar flowers earlier, in December. F Belonging to a climbing family that’s generally known for spring and summer flowers, this winter-blooming version has delightful speckled, bell-shaped flowers.…