Clive Sullivan celebrates the horticultural joys of the season...

FLOWERS IN THE SNOW

The season of crunchy frosted leaves is upon us, and soon those leaves will be a distant memory as they melt away into the earth and the bare ethereal beauty of winter. But, before all that happens, there is the festive season to look forward to, and a selection of plants to help bring you some seasonal floral cheer during the winter months.

At this time of year all we want to do is ignore the dull, damp black bit between the garden gate and the front door as we trudge home from work on a dark day …“What’s that? A garden? I don’t care,”…I hear you sigh. Well, fair enough, we’ve all been there.

Some flowers however, could turn your mood completely. The beauty of the Viburnum ‘Bodnantense dawn’ is matched only by its exquisite perfume. Flowering pink on bare wood in the depth of winter, this will lighten your mood during those long dark months.

Likewise, the wintersweet, Chimonanthus praecox with delicate yellow flowers smelling a little peppery, perks up the senses too. These are great planted next to each other near a wall; needing need sun and well drained soil. These shrubs are really worth the investment – time and time again year after year you will reap the rewards…

Sheltering in the warmth of the house, you can of course get away with seasonal favourites like Christmas Cactus, and Poinsettias. Now if you want to stand out from your neighbours why not go for a Cymbidium Orchid? Admittedly, not a conventional choice, yet a discerning one; beautiful with full waxy creamy flowers that will adorn any winter table!

Clive’s top tips for the season Water your Poinsettia sparingly, and keep away from draughts If you break a Poinsettias branch don’t get the sap on you as it’s a skin irritant Many houseplants suffer from dry centrally heated air in winter. Mist foliage lightly & occasionally When siting a Christmas tree place it away from heat If you’ve got a Norway Spruce (cheaper) Xmas Tree it’ll need an inch taken off the trunk and the base permanently in water. Oh and put down a sheet which you can later discard under the Christmas tree to catch all the needles! Water your Christmas Cactus regularly when in flower – this’ll help to keep the blooms lasting longer Outside; during periods of severe frost wrap up expensive plants like tree ferns or more tender palms to avoid damage to the crown If you haven’t planted your bulbs for the spring here’s your last chance! If you have a pond and it freezes over, melt a small hole in the ice with the base of a saucepan (don’t smash a hole as this will cause shock to your fish