I am Vanessa, a Trained Gardener
from Capel Manor College.
I love Spring time and need to
feel a connection with the Earth.
I need to feel free and in touch with nature.
Being from a Gardening family originally
in Scotland I have so much
knowledge I want to share with you all.
I need to feel a connection to living plants and
what they can bring us in so many ways.
I love being creative as this is what
a real Gardener is.
I hope very much you will enjoy my blog.
Please do hook in and take from
this all that you need.
We all need to share in this amazing
bounty that we have all around us.
I love to draw the shapes of leaves
and the contours they have.
Painting and Gardening
are all the the same.
A form of Art. We need the
seasons to give us hope
and inspiration.
How's about getting up close and
personal with me and learning step
by step how to create a 'garden space'
of your own
I really want to share with you the fun
that any kind of Gardening can bring us
at any age, any stage of life and whatever
size your plot is. It is really something
that we all aspire to in some shape
or form and sometimes we simply need
that little bit of encouragement and
guidance to start off. So here goes.
March
It is that time of year when we really
should be hibernating.
Instead we are wrapped
up and eating lots of nourishing
foods to get by.
But now is the time we need
to plan the
season ahead of us.
What can we plant? Where can
it be planted? In what container
or position to show it off to its best?
This is very important but
first of all I am giving you some
easy ideas to start you off.
My first theme is 'scented plants'
so please do read on and see
where I am taking you.
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This Vibernum |
March/April
Firstly there is a huge
range of scented plants available and
so much choice where to buy them.
We need something to lift our spirits
when the cold hits us.
Scented plants come in all sizes and
there really is something for everyone.
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Vibernum in flower in April |
I am going to start with
medium sized plants.
One of my favourites
is called Sarcococca -
Sweet Box.
It doesn't have
particularly attractive
leaves, but are similar
to 'box' which is so often
used in topiary.
 |
Beautiful berries
on Sarcococca in April |
It is a winner in my book.
From December onwards this
shrub produces
the most amazingly scented tiny flowers,
which to be honest look quite insignificant.
They sort of appear underneath
the leaves initially and are hard to get to.
They are white
spiky looking flowers.
I have a lovely one I planted
in a large plastic pot
ages ago and it has given
lots of winter pleasure.
When I need a pick me up,
I bend down to smell its
heavenly scent.
I'm transported
to some tropical island.
It is fabulous.
Have I convinced you that anyone
at all can grow and look after one with
the minimum amount of care?
So you need to buy a healthy
specimen from a good
source, plant it up in some
multi purpose compost,
a little water and give it some love.
How simple is that?
Give it a go and let me know how you go
with it. Oh and by the way it is a good idea
to talk to your plants. They do appreciate it.
They do bring us a lot of joy in return.
I am also going to talk about Evergreen shrubs
in this blog as these plants are all evergreen.
What is an evergreen shrub?
It is really simple,
it is a shrub, which does not loose its leaves
in winter.
So for example a conifer is evergreen,
a bamboo is evergreen.
Are you with me so far?
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| Part of my |
Why do we want evergreen shrubs?
Well it is a plant which
will give all year
round colour.
It will not shed its leaves
which means there is
always something
to look at in the winter months.
It is very important when
choosing plants
to take this into account.
I have some lovely
small shrubs I planted
which are deciduous
so in this part of the winter,
(November to around March)
there is nothing to look at other
than bare branches.
This is in hindsight, an error
but Gardening is all about
planning your plot properly.
So we all learn by our
mistakes and hopefully it makes
us better and more
organised Gardeners.
So the effect of green shrubs around
us gives a kind of backbone.
It also is very calming
to our busy minds.
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| This evergreen box shrub |
is happy on chalk soil.
Evergreens will give structure to a Garden
space. Another example is a hedge of bamboo
which will draw your eye to it and it is pleasing
to look at.
You can get a soft effect with bamboo;
it is something that rustles in the breeze.
It also creates a great screen.
How do you know what plant is best
for your plot. Well it depends on what
you are trying to achieve.
How much space you really have and
the type of soil conditions you have
inherited.
Yes Gardening is quite involved as you will start to read
more of my blog.
But worry not I am here to guide you.
So do ask as many questions as you like.
We Gardeners have lots of tricks up
our sleeve!
More about that a bit later.
Here are some examples of some
really easy to grow evergreen shrubs.
Choisya - buds forming April
This is a lovely mid green shrub
which can be grown
in a good sized pot and is really attractive.
It can grow quite big but if space is limited
then a pot it fine.
You can always re pot into something
bigger later on.
Why am I telling you this?
Well in my opinion we really want
plants that look good as a
stand alone specimen.
But we do need plants in groups
as well. (more on that later on).
They need to give a bit of 'character',
something
that will stand out. It's colour,
its shape, its flowers,
its scent and is it easy to look after?
Choisya also has small
white sweetly scented flowers.
They may take time to appear,
so as with all Gardening
we need to be patient.
If you crush the leaves they give
off a really unusual aroma.
I have one planted in my Garden
and it took
some years to really grow to a
reasonable size
and to produce these beautiful flowers.
It was infact too overcrowded by
taller shrubs but
now has come into its own.
They really are worthwhile. Do please give it a go.
Plant in a good
sized nice terracotta pot, big enough
for the roots to spread in and
plant in multi purpose compost.
Check the compost details first.
If you have the space plant
it in the ground. (Soil types are very
important so more on that later on).
Daphne odora
'Aureomarginata'
This is a small evergreen shrub.
It has a nice round shape.
It's leaves are glossy green
with a margin of yellow.
Their flowers are small and
very fragrant, flowering around
mid December. They are a light pink
and will flower until at least March.
This is one of many species but its
unusual leaves are attractive as
well and a lovely contrast to the flowers.
Skimmia
This is an attractive and also
hardy evergreen shrub.
It will give colour for most of the year.
The flowers are kind of bud like for
some time and found in the middle of the leaves.
This is very attractive.
They form in Autumn and then finally
in the spring will open up to
form scented red flowers.
The flowers are a good contrast
to the dark green foliage.
They will flower in around April to May.
They are quite slow growing.
Some varieties also produce small
berries after flowering.
There are
many varieties and look good in nice
glazed pots of a contrasting colour.
They really are easy to grow in a pot.
Perhaps several together to make
a nice display on a doorstep or on a patio.
Small winter flowering plants
Now I want to share with you some delightful
but small flowering plants.
Hellebores. They are one of my favourite
flowers in the winter months.
They are small and compact and really
not that hard to look after.
More on that a little later on.
Helleborus niger are pure white.
They are a real winter delight and are
ever so slightly scented.
These are usually the earliest
varieties to flower
but there are so many to choose
from and so many real beauties.
They will flower from December
until March,
so you get a lot of flower
for your money. They grow to approximately
30cm upwards in height.
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| Helleborus Niger |
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Hellebore happy planted
in shade.
The leaves are intriguing
as they unfold |
Helleborus x hybrids are stunning.
Ashwood sunset shades are beautiful.
If you go for hybrids they form a good 'clump'
of foliage. They will flower late in the winter
and also in spring.
This sounds a bit complicated
but if you choose an evergreen
hellebore such as Helleborus
angustifolius that will be a good buy.
There are also summer
flowering hellebores -
go for
'helleborus hybridus'.
It will have lovely healthy foliage
all summer.
Its flowers will form in late winter.
April
 |
| Brand new growth |
They do struggle in some soils
as I discovered so it is a lot easier
to grow Hellebores in a
terracotta pot and in the right
kind of compost.
There are varieties which
have 'green flowers.'
They are very pretty in
their own right.
They like a rich soil and
perfect drainage.
Keep them sheltered to
protect them.
Need lots of light during
the winter and the spring.
Some shade needed in the
summer months.
Violas and Pansies
Some of you may really want even
smaller plants for your winter display.
These bring lots of colour in the
shape of tiny winter flowering
violas or pansies.
They are delightful and cheery
and so cheap
to buy that it is really worth
a colourful show
of them on your doorstep.
In a nice colourful
pot or even in a hanging
wall bag packed with colour.
They are all colours,
deep purple,white and delightful.
The winter flowering pansies
are a lot bigger and in my
opinion not half as appealing.
Any good Garden Centre
will stock them in trays so you
should find a good selection.
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| These tiny violas loving the sun |
Cyclamen
I have to say that these are
one of my all time favourites.
They really do it for me
in their neat compactness
and colour during the
winter months.
They really are easy to care
for but do still give them
love and care and they
will win you over.
I think a small group of them on your
front doorstep is always welcoming.
I would go for white,
deep red and
perhaps pink.
I would plant up in
terracotta pots which
will give them enough space
to feel comfortable in.
Or perhaps all together
in a colourful glazed pot.
There are so many varieties available
so have a good look around first.
I personally feel that the small flowered
cyclamen are the best of the bunch.
There are much larger plants with
big blowsy flowers and personally
they do nothing for me.
Once you have planted them
up don't forget to water them.
Not too much
but enough so the soil is
no longer dry.
Keep them watered as
any plants
in pots will dry out very quickly
even at this time of the year.
Shop around,
be adventurous.
 |
Have dainty red pendulous
flowers in winter.
Cyclamen, pretty little cyclamen
Don't be shy and hide your
leaves. |
 |
Cyclamen with beautiful
leaves all year round
The Artist in me wants
to paint them.
|
Primroses and Primulas
These delightful plants are here to help
us remember that spring is not so
far away. They are very easy to care
for and come in all sorts of colours.
Primroses tend to be pale yellow and
some are slightly scented. Some
are a pale pink which is a nice
alternative such as this one below.
 |
Such a delight this self-
seeded primrose. |
 |
Love this deep red primrose
which also self-seeded.
Dainty deep red
small and concise |
Cultivated primulas are
a lot brighter in colour and to
me less appealing.
They are small and compact
and can make a pretty display
anywhere you have a little amount
of space.
Give it a go.
 |
Small compact
scented primula
Much less appealing
but pretty colours |
 |
Spring Primorses in shady
part of my Garden
|
New Topic
Containers and Planters
There is a huge array of planters out there.
What do you choose and how do
you know where to buy from?
There are wooden planters, barrels,
troughsand so much out there.
If I tell you what I do perhaps you
can get some kind
of an idea what is best for
what type of plant.
 |
This tin pot is a perfect size
planted up with a purple basil. |
 |
Two ideal small pots for
any small plants |
|
 |
Found these colourful pots
in back of potting shed. |
|
I Love Terracotta pots as it is part
of me and my
creative side. My European roots.
That cooked earth colour which
is so part of the Mediterranean.
 |
See the way the glaze
catches the sunlight. |
|
|
I tend to go for less expensive pots which have
a nice shape to them. For example a round small
herb pot with curved edges will be perfect for this.
Sometimes if they are getting a bit faded I like to
brighten them up by painting then. I like planters
that are practical as well and pretty.
But when choosing Terracotta,
(the lovely
deed reddish colour),
it is be best to go for
a good make as there are
such differences
in quality.
If you buy middle of the range
pots you should be fine.
No more than
£5.00 - 7.00 for a nice
small plain pot.
I can give you some places
to try but have a look at
good quality Garden Centres
or Suppliers of good
pots.
Also remember that firstly the
climate in the United Kingdom
is not great for nice things
so they need to be
frost proof and a bit
tougher to cope.
So check what the labels say.
 |
Left pot for hanging
on a fence |
Troughs are great as you can place
them on a window sill or two or
on an old wall, so that when it is time
to plant up
with colour you can
use the wall as a stage and then fill
with trailing plants.
But for a good
effect it can look better if you have
several of them spaced out.
 |
Large trough I mosaiced |
 |
Glazed terracotta
pot with tin pots |
Gardening and planting is a bit of an Art.
I feel if you are going to do
it properly, have some nice looking
troughs of terracotta or of stoneware
and then plant with colourful and
cheerful plants that work well to show
them off. Be artistic, have a go.
It is not a disaster if it doesn't work just
as you like first time round.
It is all about experimenting.
It is a bit like clothes. If you
have a smart outfit
you need smart shoes to
go with it or it doesn't really work.
Troughs are more sturdy and
less likely to break, but do have a
good look
around at what is available.
 |
A nice little set I found
in an antique shop |
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Perfect small seed tray
and small pots |
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I love the warm colours
of this pot.
Such a perfect
shine it has. |
|
Pots of colour
Pots of joy
Pots of textured gritty soil
Pots and Pots and Pots
I love all kinds of pots
Sping to me is primroses,
all shades of yellow.
Look closer at the beautiful
leaves as they all unfurl.
Cyclamen have such designs
all over their leaves
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This barrel is a handy size
planted up with chives |
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