A GOOD SELECTION FOR WINTER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23500, 14 May 1938, Page 22

A GOOD SELECTION FOR WINTER

COLOUR AND INTEREST FROM MAY With the coming of the first frosts the garden begins to assume a bare and dingy aspect, but there are several varieties of shrubs and plants that will flower almost throughout the winter. With a little care, one can have outdoor blossoms practically throughout the year, and, although the winter flowers may not be as showv as their summer neighbours, they are certainly more precious because of their scarcity. Then there are the berry-bearing trees and shrubs, which make a brilliant splash of colour in border or shrubbery during the dark days of winter. One of the most popular of winterflowering plants is the yellow-flowered Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum), which continues in bloom from early May until the end of August. It does well in any situation, and is particularly adapted for Jown gardens. Another very popular early-flowering plant is Cydoma (Pyrus) japonica, the Japanese quince. This, often flowers early in August, and, with its bril-liantly-coloured scarlet blossoms, makes an ideal wall plant. Daphne mezereum, with small, pinkish, sweet-scented flowers, and its white variety are delightful winter and early spring-flowering shrubs. They are of upright, compact habit, so do not require a great deal of space, and, as they are not particular regarding soil, are very useful for small suburban gardens Forsythia suspensa-, with long, slender canes wreathed in bright yellow flowers early in August, is certainly one of the best early-blooming shrubs, and can be grown successfully in almost any situation. A shrub that may be grown either in a sheltered part of the shrubbery, or on or near a wall, is Chimonanthus fragrans, the Winter Sweet. is in bloonj from May to August. Although the flowers are not showy, they have a very powerful fragrance. Mahonia (Berberis) japonica is a somewhat uncommon shrub, well worth growing for its handsome evergreen foliage, which is slightly tinted in winter, but even more for its yellow flowers, borne in sprays. They carry a delightful fragrance, resembling that of the lily of the valley. This shrub thrives best in partial shade, in a good loamy soil. Hamamelis mollis, the wych hazel, is a hardy deciduous, win-ter-blooming shrub, with yellow or purplish-brown flowers, and is suitable for damp borders and shrubberies or the margins of lakes Another hardy evergreen winter blooming shrub, suitable for a sheltered shady border, is Pieris flonbunda, witn white flowers, suggestive of lilies of the valley. The winter honeysuckles, Lomcera fragrantissima and L. Standishi. make compact bushes, and do well under a south or west wall. Viburnum fragrans is a deciduous, winter-flower-ing shrub of upright habit Is fragrant blossoms are blush-white when fully expanded the buds being deep pink and borne in clusters They may be seen on the plant at any time from April until the end of August and are succeeded by bright green foliage which makes a handsome background to the crimson-scarlet berries, that appear in February, and are almost as beautiful as the blossoms. This fine shrub prefers a sunnv oosilion and neaty or loamy soil Prunus subhirtella autumnalis is a very attractive, diminutive tree blooming in late autumn and early wintei as "well as in the spring, P. subhirtella pendula usually called the weeping rosebud cherry, and P. subhirtella rosea, are two beautiful forms having an abundance of pink flowers in early spring Garrya elliptica is a hardy evergreen shrub, with ornamental foliage grown principally for its pendulous. greenish-white catkins. It will thrive against a south or west wall, in ordinary well-drained soil Of the berry-bearing plants, Pytaearrtha coccinea (Crataegus pyracantha) is one of the most popular. Its small white flowers are borne in clusters at the end of leafy lateral twigs, and are succeeded in late autumn by bright coral-red berries. The variety Lalandei with much larger berries, has an upright habit, and forms a most attractive shrub when planted in the open. Another interesting family of berried plants is cotoncaster, and some members of this deserve a place in every garden. Most of the varieties are brilliant with scarlet berries throughout the late autumn and winter They prefer a light loam, but will grow in practically any well-drained garden soil. The bright scarlet berries of the various species of ilex (holly) also give colour to the shrubbery during the winter months. Other useful winter plants for shrubbery or border are the winterflowering ericas, or winter heaths. E. carnea, pink, and E. darleyensis, pale pink, are two well-known varieties. They prefer sandy peat, but will grow in any ordinary soil, and may be planted in autumn or spring. Helle-

borus niger, the Christmas rose, is good for either shrubbery, border, or rockery. The white blossoms appear early in June, and last well into the spring H. orientalis is later than H. niger, and is grand for succession. The surface of the soil should be covered in moss to protect the blooms in bad weather. The winter heliotrope (Petasites fragrans) is a splendid winter-flowering plant for woodland, shrubbery, or partially-shaded border Its flowers are insignificant, but have a delightful fragrance, and make a useful indoor decoration THE SNOWDROP’S COMPANION Winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis; are one of the first of the spring flowers to make an appearance, their yellow blooms often arriving with the snowdrops, A carpet of these in the shrubbery, under trees on the lawn, or as a groundwork of beds of bulbs, makes a pleasant patch of colour in the dull days of July. The tubers should be planted in April, and left undisturbed. Anemone St. Brigid and the Giant French, or Caen Anemone, make a feast of colour in bed or border in early spring. They require a well-drained soil. Either loam or chalk will suit them If the tubers are planted in succession from February to October, the plants will bloom in mild districts from late winter until late spring As cut flowers, anemones are a great acquisition, as blooms are not plentiful in early spring, and will brighten the dullest room with their vivid shades of crimson, scarlet, rose-pink, blue, mauve, and white They last quite a long time in watei if the buds are picked before they fully expand and the stems are slightly slit at the base. The winter-flowering pansies deserve to be more widely known on account of their almost perpetual-flowering habit. If a little bonemeal is added to the soil, they will provide a mass of compact flowers, in shades varying from velvety-purple to sky-blue, yellow, and white, throughout the winter unless the weather is unusually severe Primula Wanda and the Blue Primrose will also bloom profusely from May until late spring, and are £ valuable addition to the rockery. The double white daisy Beilis perenms alba plena, may also be had in flower in July when the weather is mild, and sr may the violet in sheltered positions It is to be understood that these things are only producing precocious flowers in the winter season, and that this production is wholly dependent upon weather conditions. When the temperature is round about 50 degrees then these early flowers follow in succession, but a frosty period puts a stop to their appearing until milder weather again encourages plant growtn —M. D., in Amateur Gardening.