SPECIES CLEMATIS.

Some of the smaller flowered clematis are at their best now. The flowers are not showy and they seem to display themselves best if grown through a host shrub rather than on a wire or trellis.

Here are three I am enjoying at the moment.

GLADIOLUS BYZANTINUS

Like Dame Edna I am very proud of my Glads.
I grow Gladiolus byzantinus in a wild flower meadow. The purists would be horrified as it comes from southern Europe, but grows happily in long grass along with the equally alien Camassia from North America.
I love it now with buttercups, oxe-eye daisies and Lady's Smock.
I have ,at last, managed to establish yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor) which greatly reduces the vigour of the grass.

UNDERSTATED CHARM?

Two plants which are giving me great pleasure now are the diminutive North American woodlander Scoliopus bigelovii and the suckering shrub Oemleria cerasiformis.
You would probably fail to notice either of them in high summer but at this time of year they stand out.
The Scoliopus only grows to about 6”, has beautifully veined flowers, and neat hosta- like foliage. It seems happy in moist shade.
The Oemleria cerasiformis is an 'easy to grow' 6’ shrub and is probably not worthy of a prime position.
It looks quite dull by April and spreads with a little too much enthusiasm. Plant it in a hedgerow where you can admire it when it is at it’s peak, and then let it fight it out with tough neighbours the rest of the year.

SPRING IN DECEMBER

Spring for me begins in late November or early December, depending on the season and my energy levels.
It begins when the last of the years leaves have been cleared from the beds and the grass has had its final cut. In only a few more days the snouts of the emerging daffodils will be damaged- even with the blades set high. Suddenly you can see the snowdrops coming through, and the buds of the early Hellebores are already showing their colours. In the winter flowers deserve to be examined with far more attention than they get in the height of the summer and so often the scent is staggeringly powerful.
Next year no plant will have to be propped up after is has toppled, no slug will have a chance to do any damage and ,however dry it might be, nobody will persuade me that water is a ‘scarce resource’ in England.
Gardening is all about looking forward.

CARMICHAELIA AUSTRALIS

I was sent a seed of this spectacular plant some years ago. It seems perfectly happy here outside - in a moderately sheltered corner.
The stems and leaves are completely flat - as though they had been crushed by a vast roller. In July it is covered with masses of violet pea-like flowers. It has reached about 5'and I just love it!

SPECIES CLEMATIS

The elegant shape of the flowers gives them a style that puts them head and shoulders above the 'dinner plate' hybrids. They seem easy enough to grow - given enough moisture. I grow them from seed, which is a laborious process, but worth the effort.

PARIS FARGESII V. PETIOLATA.

This stylish woodland plant , enjoying moist acid soil, is looking superb now.
It has the effect of making it's neighbours look a little vulgar!