December 2022
Hello Everyone
This is a brief message to wish you all the very best for the festive season. We are having a busy season with garden visitors and it is so nice to meet people who introduce themselves because they receive the newsletter.
I have attached photos of a few plants that grow in our garden and flower at this time of the year.
Photo 1: The rose Blairii No 2 which is just finishing flowering. A once-only flowerer, it is much admired as it scrambles through the cherry tree. The pink deepens towards the centre of the flower. Photo by Margaret Long.
Photo 2: Cerastium tomentosum, also known as snow-in-summer, is now flowering. It has dainty white flowers. This plant is great for growing in hot dry places and as you can see from the photo ours grows in a terra cotta pot. Photo by Prue Fanselow-Brown.
Photo 3: Cornus ‘Argentea alternifolia’ grows near the west side of our house and is always much admired. Known as the wedding cake tree, I always mention to visitors that there is another cornus, Cornus ‘Controversa variegata’ which is also known as the wedding cake tree. The latter grows larger and has a larger leaf and flower. Photo by Margaret Long.
Photo 4: This photo of the giant Himalayan lily was taken four years ago. Today, we have two of the lilies in flower, with enough plants established in the woodland garden by the drive, that I am sure we will continue to have flowers each year. They take seven years to flower and when they do the fragrance is exquisite. Photo by Juliet Nicholas.
Best wishes to you all,
Margaret
