JEARRARD'S HERBAL
29th January 2023
Galanthus 'Bess' .
Last week's snow vanished as abruptly as it arrived. I can't say that it went in the blink of an eye because I slept through it. The following morning
the ground was clear. Bright patches of snow still illuminated the dark shadows, but in the open ground it had melted. The shock of the snow has been more
persistent, rolling around in the undergrowth of thought like the unspoken monster under the bed. It's there, even when it self-evidently isn't,
and the same was true of the snow. Fortunately the sun has shone occasionally and the sensation of spring reclaiming the garden from the dark nights
has at least kept the monster under the bed, if not entirely trouncing it.
The snowdrops have treated the snow as seasonal punctuation. Before the snow fell they were in bud, challenging the idea of winter. They have emerged
from the snow in full flower, the best of them making significant mark in the garden.
I am slowly creating a new snowdrop border close to the house. The plan is to fill it with those vigorous, early snowdrops that defy easy distinction.
By the time they merge into a heartening carpet of white I will have ceased to care about the niceties of nomenclature. Visitors might say "Do you grow 'Bess'"
and I shall reply "Yes, I do", and leave the matter there, to their intense frustration. G. 'Bess' is one of the candidates for the new border.
She is wonderful, early, large flowered and unmistakeably a snowdrop. She will blend in, her magnificence adding to the Borg collective.
29th January 2023
Camellia saluenensis 'Apple Blossom' .
I have a complicated relationship with camellias. It would be wonderful if they didn't flower. They are magnificently beautiful, tough evergreens.
They are so much more appropriate to a garden setting than cherry laurel, but retaining the cheery shine of cherry-shrek. If they didn't flower, they would still be a welcome
and useful addition to the garden scene here. Unfortunately they do flower, and it introduces problems. Many of them are sensationally beautiful in flower,
some are sensational in flower, and unfortunately there are a few that simply flower.
Somehow I want the sturdy opulence of the shrub to be matched by a sturdy exuberance in flower, and most cultivars fall short. The flowering is not quite sufficient
to decorate the structure, as though the building budget over-ran and economies had to be made at the last moment. Nothing is wrong,
the structure is sound, the decorations are exquisite, but the overriding impression is of costs being cut.
My affection for Camellia saluenensis 'Apple Blossom' has increased over the last decade. When it first flowered I was tempted to say "jolly well done".
Tempted to encourage the single flower as one would the child who came fourth in the egg-and-spoon race. The camellia has been encouraged. Perhaps the cold
shock co-ordinated flowering, it is sufficiently studded with flowers to look elegant rather than cost-cutting.
29th January 2023
Adonis ramosa .
Beyond the reach of the snow, the greenhouse has its own experience of the spring. A thin film of plastic over the top does little to change
the night time temperature, but when the sun rises the temperature soars. In an hour or two, spring in the greenhouse transforms from shivering to basking.
Many plants appreciate the sudden arrival of warmth and the Adonis it produces a sudden sunny response.
Japanese selections of Adonis have become available in the last few years, if you have the cash and the courage to give them a try. They are the sort of
thing that I would love, but at the last moment I lost my nerve, which has been a fortunate thing. Adonis are plants of dry continental climes,
the wet moderation of Cornwall is not going to suit them well. I couldn't resist trying, but I limited myself to a plant of A. ramosa.
After struggling for a few years I have finally potted it into pure limestone chippings and the harsh substrate seems to be to its liking.
This is the third year that it has flowered and remained in character, my confidence has increased slightly.
Given a suitable opportunity, I might try another.
29th January 2023
Leucadendron 'Burgundy Sunset' .
Spring is a season of brightness, of white and yellow flowers glittering like flickering sunbeams across the gardens and meadows.
It is strange to find that the thing I like best in the garden this week is the darkest purple evergreen shrub.
To be quite fair to Leucadendron 'Burgundy Sunset' the flowers are yellow. Tiny specks of yellow that burst almost imperceptibly from the scales of the central cone.
The overall effect is not one of sparkling sunshine, but it is delightful.
I planted the first Leucadendron in 2017. The beast from the east immediately destroyed it and, with unusual determination, I replanted immediately.
It is a wonderful evergreen shrub with purple leaves that approach black. The margins are decorated with fine white hairs, it is a joy
of detail. I have watched it develop slowly, worried through the winters, and done what I could to encourage it. I have been rewarded with flowers.
They are not magnificent, they do not inspire awe or wonder, they are simply triumphant. Tiny flecks of yellow emerging from the dark.
It could almost be a vegetable allegory for spring.
It is much more uplifting than spring vegetable soup, which is just winter's residue boiled and canned.