Trugg and Barrows Garden Diary February 2012

January produced a mixed bag of weather. There have been a few frosty nights and some warm spring like days. Many plants are ahead in growth terms and many garden birds are already singing to establish their breeding territories.It seems to have been a good flowering season for Prunus autumnalis as several people have remarked to me on how well theirs are doing this year.
Snowdrops and Winter aconites are in flower and it feels like Spring is not far away.
For most of this month we have been spreading mulch in the garden. This does a great job at keeping weeds down and helping to retain moisture in the soil through the summer months.
Colour in the Winter Garden – Hellebores.
When the leaves have fallen and before the spring bulbs have really got going, the flowers and robust foliage of hellebores always arouse warm feelings in even the coldest winter. They are amongst the most robust of all perennials and surprisingly adaptable to different conditions. Their foliage, almost universally evergreen, is attractive even before the flowers open and can reach over 1m tall, enabling the gardener to provide striking associations even when they are not in flower. Hellebores are also prolific self-sowers which provides a welcome bonus to the gardener.
Most of the species of hellebore are plants of the woodland edge or occur under dappled shade in clearings amongst trees. They can be grown in sunnier locations amongst perennials or grasses that will provide shade as the season progresses. As a rule the more moisture that the soil retains, the more sunshine will be tolerated so organic matter is the key.
Not all hellebores are hardy however; the Majorcan H. lividus is only good in frost free areas but does make an attractive houseplant. Having said that hellebores are not difficult to raise or to grow. Generally they prefer neutral to slightly acidic soil with some humus content. The only thing they don’t tolerate is water logging. Adequate soil preparation is the key as hellebores are long lived and can quickly build into impressive clumps once they become established.
In general hellebores require very little general aftercare. It is always wise to remove the leaves of H x hybridus against the spread of black spot, and an additional feed of slow release organic fertilizer will supply additional nutrients. An annual mulch of old compost or organic matter will help retain moisture.
Hellebore black spot can be identified by the black or brown patches on the leaves which merge to create large dead areas. Do not compost cut foliage but burn it instead. Hellebore black death on the other hand is more serious and destructive. It is caused by a virus and the stems and leaves are streaked by black discolouration. These mottled patches spread, producing the eventual death of the plant.
Although most associated with woodland or shaded plantings, there are hellebores for sunny well-drained spots. Indeed the greatest concentration of hellebore species is in the Baltic regions where many grow as alpine or sub-alpine plants often in full sun in well-drained conditions. Helleborus argutifolius is a Corsican native well suited to spots with sharp drainage and combines well with brooms and cistus as is its progeny H x sternii which has attractively mottled leaves.
My own favourite is H foetidus a valuable if underrated British native. These make statuesque plants, flowering from midwinter to spring and producing tubular green flowers. Although tolerant of a range of conditions, these are ideal shade plants perfect for growing underneath shrubs and trees. They also combine well with white Narcissus, pulmonarias and other shade lovers. Whatever your situation, Hellebores are a great addition to the garden.
In the kitchen garden .
Heritage apple trees.
In autumn of 2010 after a conversation between my self and Trugg we decided to plant a collection of Shropshire apple tree varieties in the kitchen garden. A couple of months of research, aided by the Marcher Apple Society indicated that there are very few apple varieties existing that are known to have been raised in Shropshire. We decided to expand the search to include those with a close association to Shropshire. Eventually a list of nine varieties was produced. Many of these are rediscovered and/or rare varieties and as such their provenance is rather shaky. We actually needed around 20 trees so the rest were made up with heritage varieties from the Welsh Marches.
Paul Davis of Dolau Hirion Nurseries sourced all of the bud wood for us and grafted it onto a semi-dwarfing rootstock. This should eventually give trees around 2.5 metres high.
At risk of boring those not interested in such things, here is the list of those ‘Shropshire’ apples we have so far;
Brookes’s. first recorded in 1820, red striped russeted dessert apple with a strong aromatic flavour. Keeps well.
Onibury Pippin. Raised by Thomas Knight in the 19th century. A dessert apple that looks good and keeps well.
King of the Pippins/Shropshire Pippin. Pictured above. A dual purpose apple with debate over its origins, it has several synonyms.
The Gypsy King , last recorded in the 19th century was rediscovered at the Apple Day at Church Stretton in 2004,
Ladies Fingers. A yellow culinary apple with a rich flavour. Raised 1824.
Moss’s Seedling. Raised in about 1955 by Chetwynd End nurseries in Newport.
Downton Pippin. Raised in Herefordshire in 1792, a small mid-season dessert apple with an intense sharp flavour.
Yellow Ingestrie. Raised by Thomas Knight in 1800. A small yellow dessert apple.
Bringewood pippin. Cider apple.
If you are aware of any other ‘Shropshire’ varieties that we might be able to add to the collection, or if you have any questions, queries or comments then please email us or use this contact form
Over the next month in the kitchen garden I hope to continue preparing the ground ready for this year’s growing season. Sowing has already begun in a modest way with cabbages and cauliflowers as well as sweet peas all germinating on the propagation bench.
Please note: images have been removed from this pages because some of them may have been used without permission.