What’s looking good at the moment

Nothing to me says spring is on its way more than seeing the first snowdrops pop their heads up above the ground,. I know it’s still winter but those first shoots appearing always makes me think that the garden is starting to wake up again. That longer brighter days aren’t that far away. I was lucky enough to inherit a few clumps of snowdrops when we moved into the house some years ago. Despite various renovation projects along with me digging up and re-arranging the borders they keep coming back, which I’m really pleased about. Whether waiting for them to appear in a garden, visiting a snowdrop open day or going for a walk through woodlands I love seeing them carpet the ground. It’s also the perfect excuse to enjoy coffee and cake, wrapping my hands round a steaming mug while wandering around a garden or a treat at the end of winter’s walk.

This is also the main season for hellebores, the smaller varieties, the white Helleborus niger and the pink-purple flowers of Helleborus purpurascens are giving way to some of the bigger varieties. Ranging from the deep purples of Helleborus x hybridus ‘Harvington Double Purple’ to the speckled Helleborus orientalis ‘Spotted white’ and the zingy acid greens of Harvington Lime or Helleborus argutifolius. The acid greens will lighten up partially shaded areas of the garden, giving the feeling that the sun is trying to filter through the branches above. The winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis) with their radiant yellow flowers will provide a similar effect. Whether choosing one or the other or mixing in a few of each.

I’ve also been enjoying the last of the last of winter scented shrubs, the berries are starting to takeover on the Sarcococca but there are still a few flowers punctuating the air with their scent. In the local parks the pink flowers of Viburnum × bodnantense ‘Dawn’ are brightening up the grey skies and worth stopping for, to smell the flowers.

Advice

Even with the grey cold days there is still plenty of opportunity to spend time outside in the garden. It helps too to do a little now before the weather warms up and the weeds start romping away. Having been out recently to help a client with her garden I’ve noticed that with all the rain we’ve been having, it has already encouraged the weeds to grow. With the warmer than usual weather they probably think spring is already here too.

A few ideas for spending time outside on a dry day:

• Snowdrops: Any large clumps can be divided up to create new plants and spread around the garden. If there aren’t enough or just because it would be lovely to have a few extra or new varieties in the garden, this is the perfect time to plant them in the green. This is either picking up a pot of snowdrops or ordering them from a nursery, where they will often come wrapped in newspaper with roots and shoots already growing. I prefer to buy them in the green as they have a higher success rate than those grown from bulbs.

• Sweet peas can be sown in pots and kept under glass, ready to plant out as soon as the frosts have passed. And if it’s raining again it is the perfect opportunity to flick through the catalogues and choosing which varieties grow. Regardless of which colours I select, I always check that they are scented varieties, something I definitely want in a sweet pea.

• Keep checking and cutting old leaves off hellebores, particularly if they’re flopping over the flowers, so that new blooms can be enjoyed to their maximum.

• Bare root season: There is still time to plant bare root trees and shrubs before the weather warms up. Roses are often planted in this way and what better time of year, with Valentine’s Day coming up than to plant a few. Receiving a sack of twigs isn’t the most romantic of presents but you will get to plant them, watch them grow and enjoy them for years to come. There is always the enjoyment of going out into the garden in summer and snipping a few blooms off to create your own arrangement. I have to admit enjoying mixing Rosa ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ with Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ along with a few astrantia and sage (if I’ve let it flower).

Trends

Water features: have been very popular over the past few years, whether the calming nature of a gentle trickle or the splashing of a waterfall. Encouraging wildlife into the garden has become increasingly important recently and is looking like it will continue for some time. Personally I think it should be a standard consideration of any garden design, rather than a trend. Whether creating bee corridors to allow them to find food, leaving a small gap in the fence or using hedges so that hedgehogs are able to travel around or choosing trees with berries or fruit for birds to be able find food in winter.  

These two trends will combine in 2024, with water features having a more natural feel to them, ponds with gentle inclines to allow insects to be able to crawl in and out of them. Along with a few shallow areas to allow birds to drink from them in warmer weather, if the last few years are anything to go by having water in the garden will benefit both birds and insects alike. There will be more planting around the edges to encourage insects in, provide shelter and add colour to the garden. Many of these ideas with a little imagination can equally be applied to more formal shaped water features, either because they’ll tie in with an existing layout or just personal preference.

What I’m working on

I’m starting to think about putting in orders for spring planting, gardens where the hard landscaping has been completed and are now waiting for the soft landscaping to complete the look. After last year where we had a warm February followed by a cold snap (there was even snow in some areas), I suspect this year will be a wait and see game too, when it comes to planting. The colder weather last year meant that the plants weren’t ready to come off the nursery until later in May and some into early June.

The new projects that I’m working on seem to all involve being surrounded by fields. However they will have a very different feel to them, one will be a modern feeling garden, to fit in with the style of the house. Lots of space to chillout and to entertain friends and family. There won’t be any traditional areas of lawn but there will be lots of seating and lush planting to create pockets of privacy.

Another garden will have a much more informal feel that works with the surrounding woods and fields. Encouraging the wildlife into the garden will be a key consideration, there is already the odd deer or two that like to wander round, along with birds and even a weasel. The garden will have a calming feel with informal seating areas and lots of flowers. The wind blows straight off the fields so creating some shelter pockets will be a key consideration. It is also an area rich in history, I’ve been trying to imagine as I look out of the garden over the fields that there used to be a Manor House surrounded by a moat until the dissolution of the monasteries, in my sightline.

Do you have favourite February plants or are planning a new project? Feel free to add your favourite plants, suggestions or questions in the comments. I would love to hear from you.