Now that January has finally arrived a whole new gardening year lies ahead. Mid-winter is a good time to do some early preparation for the coming season, just before all those spring jobs start piling up. But before we tackle some of these, I fancy a stroll around the winter garden to see who's out and who's up and coming.
Walking around the garden at this time of year can be rewarding. In full glory right now is the 'Tassel bush', otherwise known as Garrya elliptica. This evergreen from California seems to thrive in its north-easterly aspect in my garden. Sometimes in severe winters its leathery leaves turn brown, which is admittedly not a pretty sight, but these are soon replaced by new spring growth. To avoid this it is perhaps best to plant this shrub in a more sheltered position, away from icy blasts, which do the damage.
This winter so far has been kind, so it looks about as good as ever it has, with elegantly long catkins, which open in the sunshine tempting passers by to tap them to produce the powder puff of yellow pollen.
Another shrub typical of mid January is the Witch Hazel. The wow factor here is without doubt the scent, followed closely by the flowers themselves, which appear on bare branches. The best for winter gloom is Hamamelis mollis. The acid yellow colour of this form really does shines out in the low light levels of winter. It also happens to have the best scent to my nose. There are other good forms around, some have bronze flowers, others much paler yellow. Whichever one you choose will be a winner, as these winter charmers never fail to quicken the heartbeat when in full-bloom.
On a much smaller scale altogether is the diminutive winter flowering cyclamen coum. This hardy corm starts to flower in mid-winter with its tiny carmine-pink blooms, offset with dark green leaves marbled with silver. If like me you are plagued by squirrels, you will need to keep an eye on all your outside bulbs and corms. They seem to make a very tasty meal for these guys. Having seen a very large empty hole, almost six inches across, where an autumn flowering cyclamen once grew, squirrels no longer look cuddly to me!
Wandering around the garden I can see the shoots of snowdrops beginning to appear, these heralds of early spring will soon be a major contributor to my spring garden. Already the winter aconites, Eranthis hyemalis are beginning to display their golden cups. They seem very unperturbed by the heaviest rain, frost or snow and just keep smiling. Plant them in a sunny spot and they will reward you by grinning wider still.
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