Acer Corner

Spring on Steroids

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 19:31:00 +0000

The mild winter followed by a warm early spring has resulted interesting flower combinations I never planned for. Flowering cherry, tree peony and mid-season tulips all in flower at the same time.

The cherry was pruned last summer resulting in many more flower clusters.

Prunus 'Shirofugen'

Very Early Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 19:27:00 +0000

We had plenty of rain this winter, though no flooding, and it's been well above freezing for most of the winter. In the 10 years we've been in this garden, I never had to prune rampant ivy at this time of year.
The scent of spring it's been in the garden for a while now. Hellebores, snowdrops and early daffodils have been out for almost a month.
Because of the warm weather I decided to prune the roses early, it is not often that I get to prune roses in bloom in mid-February.

I hope we are not caught out by late snow.

Rosa 'Malvern Hills' taken 19th January 2014

Flower Combinations

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Thu, 09 May 2013 19:14:00 +0000

When thinking about plants, you would usually take into consideration flowering times to achieve a succession of flowers. You would want plants in flower to be surrounded by green to show them to their best.
The strange weather this year (spring only started mid April) means that many plants are late (bulbs were most affected by the weather, most are around 4 weeks late) and flowering in combinations you wouldn't usually see. This makes the garden busy, different, but not unattractive.

As you can see tulips and flowering cherry at the back of the garden are both in flower (the cherry is Prunus 'Taihaku'). While some of the acers are already in full leaf, some are only starting to unfurl.

Acer palmatum 'Garnet'

Some daffodils are also still in flower, this is a late one, but it has never been this late.

Any hope of spring?

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:26:00 +0000

My optimism at the end of February has been premature. The weather has been so cold as to prevent me from going out into the garden for over a month.
At this time of year the apple tree would be covered in blooms, but I just looked out, and there are barely signs of buds. On the other hand my clematis armandii seems to flower according to the calendar (or perhaps the amount of light available) rather then the weather.
As in previous years it is in full bloom.

In previous years, on a warm spring evening the scent would be quite strong. You could smell it walking under the garden gate over which the plant drapes. I took this picture a few minutes ago, in fairly decent warm sunshine, but, it has no scent at all, which is not quite the same.

Is it Finaly Spring?

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 19:54:00 +0000

My optimism at the beginning of January was slightly premature. Spring was not there yet. A nice weekend mid February quickly turned into freezing weather which lasted until today.
I finally managed to get out into the garden and finish pruning the roses.
Plants on the other hand seem unperturbed by the freezing weather, and all signs of spring are out there. The Hellebores, the snow drops (Galanthus nivalis, I am not much of a galanthophil, and can't really tell the difference while standing) and the Witch Hazels (Hammamelis).

Helleborus 'Anna's Red'

I hope the nice weather will last long enough so I can complete tidying up the garden, the brown bin has just been emptied, and I still didn't prune the tips of the Wisteria.

Helleborus x hybridus 'Harvington Shades of Night'

The Apple Tree

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 10:11:00 +0000

Now that winter moved on, at least temporarily, I am reminded of the lovely weather we had on New Year's day and the days following, and of the apple tree in the middle of the gardens which we prune yearly.

The street we live on used to be an orchard belonging to one of the large houses at the top of the road. When the houses were built in the mid- 1950s, each garden had an apple tree and a plum tree from the old orchard. When we moved in in 2003 both trees were sill there, though the plum was not looking its best.
5 years on and the plum tree had to be cut down (I think it was a Victoria plum, though I can't be sure). The apple tree is still here, as far as I know our tree and the one next door are the only ones remaining on the street.
The apples it produces are not very good, they are early eaters, ripening in August, and they don't keep at all. But the tree is a very nice specimen and we treat the apples as an unpleasant side effect we have to put up with. In fact in recent years we started picking off the small apples in June to reduce the amount of space they take up in the green waste bin.

I used to have someone prune the tree, but he moved on from the area, and all I can find now is tree surgeons applying the chainsaw, which encourages a lot of new growth and does not make for a very elegant tree.
Pruning the tree takes most of day (taking into account winter days are fairly short anyway) for the whole family. My other half holds the ladder, I climb up and prune (he is not allowed secateurs) and my daughter shreds the prunings.

This year with the weather being so mild we took our time over the job, and I think the tree looks particularly well.

What Determines the Autum Colour of Acers

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 23:39:00 +0000

Many myth surround the requirements Japanese maples have. Recently a visitor to the garden told me they thought growing Japanese maples in acid soil improved the autumn colour, which is why it is recommended.

I have considered this question myself, and I think that the amount of sunshine the tree gets during the growing season is a much better predictor of autumn colour then the pH of the soil.
This picture, of an Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium' was taken in Autumn 2009. The tree grows in a raised bed filled with ericaceous compost in my north facing front garden. It grows under the canopy of a Cersis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'. At the time this picture was taken the canopy of the Cersis was quite light and the tree had some sunshine in the summer month.

This is a picture of the same tree taken in October this year. The only difference is that the canopy of the Cersis is much denser and the Acer is now in full shade.

This is a picture taken this autumn of another specimen of Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium' growing in the ground in the back garden (the soil is slightly acid clay). In the summer month it gets at least 6 hours of sunshine. The colour at the extremities of the tree is a deep red, while the leaves further down, which don't get as much sunshine are only red at the edges and are mostly dark yellow.

This is not a scientific experiment, but while the pH soil makes a difference, I believe it is the sunshine that produces the best colour.

Autumn Colour 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:45:00 +0000

The miserable weather this autumn resulted in early and very good autumn colour.
We have been opening the garden for 4 years and this is the first time we had decent colour on the October open day (This year this was on 20 and 21st of October).

In the foreground is Acer shirasawanum 'Jordan'

In the foreground is Acer palmatum 'Kamagata' a dwarf acer which is usually pale orange and pink in colour. It has been in the garden for 6 years and this is the first time it is bright red.

Acer palmatum 'Orangeola'

Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium'

The Rotary Washing Line - Thoughts on Garden Use

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 21:43:00 +0000

One of my pet hates is the rotary washing line, you know the one, it is located in the middle of the lawn, usually in full view of the patio. When in use it completely blocks the view of the garden. It can be taken out and stored, but who actually bothers?

When we moved into the house the obligatory rotary washing line was there. It was not behind the patio (we had a concrete coal storage box by the kitchen door instead). It was at the end of the garden, with and ugly dead straight concrete path leading to it. It was of course in full view of the patio. We removed it the first summer after we moved in.

What prompted all this? Well our dryer broke down, and a solution for the washing was required.

I then fondly remember my grandparents washing day. They did not have a washing machine or a drier, so every other week, on Monday, a woman would come to the house and do the washing in a large vat in an outhouse, while my grandfather hang the washing lines among the trees in the garden. I can't remember what happened on rainy days but I do remember white sheets fluttering in the wind (in those days all sheets were white), and me playing among them.

So I found some unused plastic rope from our house move and improvised some washing lines in the back garden.

Quite a few people have tried to convince me of the virtue of natural drying but I am not sure... The weather was nice, and everything dried quickly, but what will happen when the rain returns? Not to mention the clothes were rather stiff and fluff and cat hair remained firmly attached.
I can't really see the washing line as a permanent feature in the garden. The new drier arrives tomorrow.. not a moment too soon.

Scented Signs of Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 22:32:00 +0000

The last two weeks of glorious spring weather has been kind to the garden.

Despite the lack of rain the soil is still moist, and plants have been doing well.

A particular favourite during these past weeks is Clematis armandii. I grow it near the garage wall, over the entrance to the back garden, training it towards the kitchen door. In a warm evening the scent is irresistible.

In past winters, the cold weather damaged the top growth to such extent that I had to cut it almost to the ground, so there were very few flowers in spring. (Though a few appeared in August and September)

But this past winter, we only had one cold spell, which didn't do much damage, so tidying up was all that was needed. I even managed to get some shoots to the front of the garage.

Hellebores

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 21:21:00 +0000

Spring is finally really here, and though it has happened in the past, I can't imagine wintry weather coming back. The snowdrops are almost gone and many plants are starting to shoot and flower.

The ones that are at their absolute best at the moment are the hellebores. Commonly known as the 'Lenten Rose' hellebores are evergreen perennials from the Ranunculaceae family. They are long lived (some growing in my garden, inherited from the previous owners are at least 20yrs old), and grow in difficult places under shrubs and trees, but also in more sunny positions. Hellbores hybridise easily, and most plants sold are hybrids.

A favourite is Helleborus x ericsmithii 'Winter Moonbeam'. Some turn their nose up at the variegated leaves, but grown in shade they are quite delicate. The flowers open white, turning pink as they age. (I grow them under a rose, close to the house, so they can be seen from the kitchen).

Helleborus x ericsmithii 'Winter Moonbeam'

Another favourite growing in my north facing front garden is Helleborus x hybridus 'Harvington Shades of the Night'. Its one of my first hellebores. Its been in its place for about 7 years, and has grown into a large clump of around 15 flowers. It always puts on a great display.

Helleborus x hybridus 'Harvington Shades of the Night'

And finally, a new selection - 'Anna's Red' named after plants woman and writer Anna Pavord*.

I bought this on a visit to Great Dixter in February.

The flower is a large bright purplish red (the colour is a bit darker in reality), and is fairly upright.The leaves have some marbling, and since I planted it in partial shade, I would expect the marbling to be pronounced.

How well it does in the garden and how quickly it bulks up remains to be seen.

Helleborus 'Anna's Red'

*Anna Pavord is the author of 'The Tulip' and the wonderful 'The Naming of Names: The search for order in the world of plants'. A surprisingly interesting book on a subject you may think extremely dull.
.

Winter Flowering Clematis

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:13:00 +0000

I love winter flowering plants, they make much more of an impact as an individual plant on a background of bare stems.
I planted Clematis cirrhosa 'Freckles' about 4 years ago, on the fence surrounding the front garden, facing the driveway, so we can see the flowers as we go in and out of the house. Then came three hard winters and each winter there were one or two miserable flowers on the plant.
I started doubting the wisdom of planting it at all.

But this year, with the mild weather came a pleasant surprise.

The plant is covered in large beautiful flowers. I guess the weather does matter.

Flowering in the New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 12:17:00 +0000

It's been a while since I wrote anything, as sometimes happens, life as well as an extended, and long awaited trip to Japan got in the way. I still didn't sort out the thousands of images I brought back, I hope to do so soon, so I can write about the amazing gardens I saw.

Meanwhile in the garden there is much more greenery then usual at this time of year. The weather has been mild in the autumn and well into winter with only a few days of frost. The roses have kept their leaves, and some have buds and a few flowers.

Walking around the garden the plant that caught my eye is Viburnum tinus 'Eve Price'.

It provides good structure during the rest of the year despite occasional attacks of Viburnum beetle. But, it is in winter when it is most valuable. I don't remember when it flowered during the snowy winters we had in the last 3 years, but I seem to remember it was much later.

Viburnum tinus 'Eve Price'

Hydrangeas

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 20:36:00 +0000

It was quite difficult to choose the plant for this post. Eventually I decided to settle on Hydrangeas which are at their best at the moment.
A favourite is Hydrangea paniculata, which flowers on current season's wood. This means it can be easily pruned without sacrificing any flowers.

Hydrangea paniculata (unknown cultivar)

More on Roses

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:57:00 +0000

I mentioned Rosa 'Windrush' in my previous post and managed to take some nice pictures to illustrate the point. (The backdrop is Cornus controversa 'Variegata')

And some detail ....

Roses - Round II

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 19:35:00 +0000

This is the time of year when we get a good second flush of our many roses.
While some roses like Rosa 'Graham Thomas' and Rosa 'Emma Hamilton' go on producing flowers throughout the summer and autumn, some flower in flushes.

A notable cultivar is Rosa 'Windrush'
It has beautiful almost single white flowers, which are quite large, and are produced in flushes over a month or so. The first round this year was at the beginning of June. The second one is just starting. A hard prune after the first flush of flowers results in a second one that's almost as good.

One of my favorites, is a new rose I planted last year - A fairly new David Austin introduction, Rosa 'Lady of Shalott'. It has been slow to get going, probably because it's planted close to a mature Wisteria, but the flowers are lovely, specially when back lit by the evening sun.

White Lavender

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 21:18:00 +0000

One of our cats, Trixy, had a car accident and it was not clear if she would survive, so updating the blog was the least of my worries. She is now out of danger and I can resume following the garden more closely.

Trixy enjoying the garden

The plant that stood out most in the last week is the white lavender. I grow a few blue lavenders, mostly inherited with the garden, and they all finished flowering a few weeks ago.
I was not really aware of white lavenders until I saw them at Hampton Court Flower Show last year. I promptly bought a few from one of the show gardens selling them off.

I found it is not as tolerant of dry soil as the blue ones (I have to admit I have no idea which cultivar it is, though I suspect it is Lavandula angustifolia 'Alba'), but it remains in flower for much longer, the flowers opening slowly along the short spire

Unlike the blue lavenders where all the flowers open at once, more impressive perhaps, not so sure.

Clematis tangutica

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 22:29:00 +0000

This week's plant was not an easy choice, quite a few plants are showing off this week.
In the end I chose the nodding yellow flowers of Clematis tangutica, that will go on flowering well into autumn.

It's easily grown from seed, it's free of desease and it will cover an modest size arch in a season.
The arch I grow this over has a Laburnum vossii on one side and a Rosa 'Maigold' on the other. It is the rose, which is early flowering, and doesn't repeat, that shares the space with the clematis.

As the rose is winding down the clematis, which was pruned in February to about 30cm from the ground, is starting to take over. When the laburnum is starting to get tatty, which happens quite early, the clematis reaches the top of the arch and hides it in a mass of flowers.

As a bonus, the fluffy seed heads last to the end of winter, even in cold snowy ones like we had lately.

Lilies

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:45:00 +0000

It wasn't easy choosing this week's plant, quite a few plants were candidates, but in the end I chose two lilies.
My first attempts at growing lilies were not successful. I tried growing them in the ground, they would come up, and at around 20 cm high would be completely consumed. After a few years of trying I switched to pots, and this was great success. Most lilies have been living in their pots for a few years happily. The lily beatle is still a problem but picking them up regularly keeps them happy.

Most lilies finished flowering at the beginning of June but two are still holding on.
The first it Lily 'Avocado', an oriental trumpet hybrid, around 1m tall. It only just started opening.

Lily 'Avocado'

Another lily, which has been in flower for a few weeks is Lily 'Red County'. It has great colour, shades of red and orange. It grows it in full sun, it would be darker in colour if grown in semi-shade.

Lily 'Red County'

I put the pot among the wiry stems of Persicaria 'Red Dragon'. They make great companions.
Insects seem to like it too...

Returning

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 20:23:00 +0000

It's been a while since I wrote, life has taken over and got in the way somewhat.
We had a warm spring and the garden has been on steroids. It is not often that you find yourself deadheading roses in the middle of May. Nor did I ever see the Laburnum and Wisteria flowering at the same time.

While most roses have finished their first flush of flowers long before their expected time, one has been an exception. It is a standard rose I bought from a French man at Hampton Court flower show about 5 years ago, I lost the label and I don't know its name. It never failed to flower, always at the same time, whatever the weather.
This year as always, it is covered in flowers

This gave me an idea, writing every week, about the plant that is at it's best that week.
This unknown rose will be the first.

Spring is here to stay

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:50:00 +0000

Spring is definitely here, in fact last days were more like summer, and I had to remove the insulation from the greenhouse few weeks earlier then usual.
I have now taken full stock of winter casualties, and they have been much worse then previous years.
I lost most of my Euphorbias and the remaining ones are looking pretty sad and will have to be replaced. I also lost two large Phormiums growing in large pots that managed to survive two harsh winters, but are now only fit for the tip.
I was also surprised to lose one of my favorite Erysimums (Bowles Mauve). I was growing two on both sides of a path, one survived and one did not. Some cuttings I've been growing on the allotment survived as well so can't really explain this.

On the positive side here are a few of this spring's highlights:

Magnolia stellata

I planted this Camellia two years ago close to the deck behind the house. This is the first time it flowered and the display was excellent.

Camellia 'Jury's Yellow'

And finally one of my favorites the unfurling leaves of Larix kaempferi 'Diana'

Cleraing up

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 10:27:00 +0000

This weekend was the first since early November which had all the conditions of a good gardening day. The sun was shining, the temperatures were reasonable (9C measured in the garden at lunch time) and there was no wind.
Since there were no excuses I finally embarked of the traditional autumn clear up with some delay.

The nice thing about winter gardening is that you notice things that you wouldn't in spring and ssummer, when there is so much going on. The first thing I noticed is that some of the early Hellebore's are unfurling their flowers already.

But there is something completely different, and surprising I noticed. The intensity in the colour of one of my acers. This is a new acer, only planted last summer, when a large tub became available (after it's previous occupant was killed by the weather, cant' remember now what it was). It is called Acer palmatum 'Winter Flame', and it lives up to it's name. It is a dwarf form of well known Acer palmatum 'Sangukaku', which in my oppinion is not the best both in terms of form and bark colour.

Not sure why I was surprised, maybe becasue so often, the promise of a name is not fulfiled. It certainly is in this case. It also has bright green leaves in summer and a good form which I can still improve on by some light pruning next summer.

Winter Frost

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 21:49:00 +0000

This year winter caught me by surprise. Usually during November I would give the roses their first cut, but this year it was so cold I was not tempted to do it.

Coming home one day I was rewarded by this beautiful frosted rose (Rosa 'Compasion').

Happy New Year

Remains of Autumn

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 22:44:00 +0000

Autumn has come and gone really quickly this year. We had only one good week at the beginning of November before cold set in and leaves started dropping off. Leaves are no all gone, and mostly collected.
However,, surprisingly is it a bonsai that insists on holding on to it's leaves despite the cold.
I created this bonsai from quite a large shrub, and it is still work in progress. It is extremely tough, and lives outside all winter, unlike my other bonsai, which come into the greenhouse as soon as winter sets in. I think it is quite a cheerful site, in what is a fairly miserable time of year.

I started this bonsai at a workshop at Kew, and have no idea what cultivar it is. The only information I can provide is that it is covered in dark pink flowers in May. (Could not find a picture in flower, time I had one)

Return to the Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Naiman) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 22:03:00 +0000

I've absented myself from this blog and to a large extent form the garden this summer. For a change we concentrated on the house and let the garden take care of itself, which it has done very well.

While we had an excellent show of roses in June, the dry start of the summer meant that we did not get much repeat flowering until September.
Autumn colour was also strange this year, it started late and lasted only for a few weeks at the end of October before the leaves dropped off.

Now begins the slow job of clearing the leaves from the paths and gravel areas, before it all disintegrates into a mush.