Winter woodland garden walk

It is a wonderful day. The sky is a pale washed blue, still cold, but hopeful. With the encouragement of a little warmth, the bees are out today, cleaning out their hive and foraging for what nectar they can find.

Let’s walk up through the garden. Up the steps and over to the left is a very nice area of Galanthus atkinsii. It is doing well next to the wall; large slender flowers, of good shape and substance, characterised by a prominent green horse-shoe mark on the petals.

Further up the steps and past the Iris reticulata George. This is a reliably perennial early iris, along with Katherine Hodgkin. Both are doing well in this well drained sunny bed. Crossing over the path, we come to Galanthus plicatus on the corner and turn up the hill.

Climbing up one can stop and stare with frank admiration at the Witch Hazel, Hammemallis xintermedia Pallida. It is now a substantial and handsome shrub.

To the right is a small clump of Galanthus Desdemona, a fine double flowered form, best admired by lifting the flower to see the lovely doubling, just like petticoats. Close by is the first Celandine I have seen this year. Celandines require sunlight to open and hence are always a welcome sight in February.

On round past the font stone and there are more snowdrops under the shrubs. The first is Mighty Atom, with huge flowers, on short stems. Nearby is Colossus, with its large flowers in tall stems, and Galatea, the three large petals resembling rotor blades.

Pause before you leave this are and smell the amazing Sarcocca flowers. This winter flowering evergreen shrub takes a while to settle and grow away but is worth the waiting.

Now we climb the curving paths and up into the upper parts of the garden. The evergreen shrubs are glistening in the afternoon sun, the variegated hollies looking particularly fine. The Hellebores are sending up their new flowerbeds and will be fine sight soon.

Up past the willow basket planting of Galanthus Magnet, a fine, large flowered snowdrop variety and into areas where plantings of Galanthus nivalis, the common snowdrop are beginning to bulk up nicely and make an impact. Having visited old estate and castle gardens I realise it will take 100 years to attain those wonderful drifts of snowdrops on banks and stream side, but we have made a good start, and now, 10-15 years on they are looking well.

If you book a winter garden tour in February we will walk the garden together.

Sun loving rock roses

The sweet scent of sweet peas