Clethra alnifolia should be more widely grown. It is not fastidious except in the question of soil which must be free of any hint of lime. It associates contentedly with rhododendrons and in September, as the pulse of the garden slows, the cream-white spiked trusses open and fill the air for some distance with a delicate fragrance.
Avoid only the form listed as rosea, a villainous washed-out pink, hideous to behold and parsimonious in producing flowers.
Pruning is accepted with equanimity even when amateurishly performed by rabbits, cows and a very unpredictable rotary grass cutter. Propagation can be by cuttings or layering, whichever is more convenient.
Cornus alba has proved a worthy friend which when planted as a windbreak spreads, each branch rooting where it touches the ground, into a dense mass of shoots. For the connoisseur, C. alba sibirica, with brilliant scarlet shoots in winter, and less vigorous enthusiasm to colonise the whole garden, is better value. C. alba spaethii is the supreme champion because the golden variegated leaves spread cheer on the dampest day in summer and like the type plant it can really cover the ground, a veritable racehorse of a plant.
The rock roses are Mediterranean shrubs which like light, free-draining soil and a warm sunny position. Three varieties of those tried in my garden lived seven years, and cuttings taken from them continue to grace the garden in a sheltered bed by the house.
Chaenomeles speciosa nivalis is a good white form but it must be summer pruned or the colour is hidden by a mass of leaves. Personally I would prefer the hybrid between the two species under the title C. x superba Knap Hill Scarlet which is a fiery combination of orange and scarlet holding a torch for spring in every petal during April. Chaenomeles speciosa simonii is a plant of exceptional character, compact and tidy in all its parts with the flat semi-double blood-red blooms having a camellia-like quality. Soil type does not seem to be particularly important, but I give my plants a sun-soaked place and they love it. A little extra potash is well rewarded with hard-petalled flowers in profusion.
Avoid only the form listed as rosea, a villainous washed-out pink, hideous to behold and parsimonious in producing flowers.
Pruning is accepted with equanimity even when amateurishly performed by rabbits, cows and a very unpredictable rotary grass cutter. Propagation can be by cuttings or layering, whichever is more convenient.
Cornus alba has proved a worthy friend which when planted as a windbreak spreads, each branch rooting where it touches the ground, into a dense mass of shoots. For the connoisseur, C. alba sibirica, with brilliant scarlet shoots in winter, and less vigorous enthusiasm to colonise the whole garden, is better value. C. alba spaethii is the supreme champion because the golden variegated leaves spread cheer on the dampest day in summer and like the type plant it can really cover the ground, a veritable racehorse of a plant.
The rock roses are Mediterranean shrubs which like light, free-draining soil and a warm sunny position. Three varieties of those tried in my garden lived seven years, and cuttings taken from them continue to grace the garden in a sheltered bed by the house.
Chaenomeles speciosa nivalis is a good white form but it must be summer pruned or the colour is hidden by a mass of leaves. Personally I would prefer the hybrid between the two species under the title C. x superba Knap Hill Scarlet which is a fiery combination of orange and scarlet holding a torch for spring in every petal during April. Chaenomeles speciosa simonii is a plant of exceptional character, compact and tidy in all its parts with the flat semi-double blood-red blooms having a camellia-like quality. Soil type does not seem to be particularly important, but I give my plants a sun-soaked place and they love it. A little extra potash is well rewarded with hard-petalled flowers in profusion.
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When planning the design for a small garden, gardener can do something to make the entrance look special.
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