At this time of year we are grateful for vibrant stems and scented flowers to brighten up the garden. When we do get sunshine, it is often accompanied by frost, which tends to stay quite late in the day in our valley situation, giving visitors a chance to enjoy frosted foliage and seedheads.
Acacia dealbata subsp. subalpina, an Australian native, is surprisingly hardy in a sheltered position and rewards with bright yellow spherical flowerheads. These smother the whole tree with the delicate fern-like glaucous leaves adding to the impact. Even in February, if set against a blue sky, this tree can give an exotic feel to a garden. At Rosemoor you can find our treasured specimen in the Foliage Garden.
Acer pensylvanicum 'Erythrocladum' is a maple with distinctive, striped bark of orangey red and white. The new shoots are a bright pink which later mature to the same colour as the bark. The foliage turns clear yellow in the autumn and bears greenish yellow flowers in the spring. This medium-sized tree contributes to the colour and form of the Winter Garden, brightening up a particularly shady spot.
Camellia x williamsii 'Donation' AGM is best in partial shade where its beautiful pink, semi-double flowers will be a deeper colour and will last longer than in a sunny position. The petals are traced with darker pink veins and they surround a bright yellow boss of stamens. The leaves are glossy and bright green, a worthy feature in their own right. It is perfectly at home in the humus-rich acid soil to be found in the Woodland Walk and the Winter Garden here at Rosemoor.
Cornus alba 'Kesselringii' has wonderfully dark, purplish black stems which contrast well with red stemmed dogwoods and yellow/green willows. As with all Cornus grown for their stem colour, cut them back in the early spring and place in a sunny position for the most intense stem colour. We have it planted in the area of the Lake and in the Rock Gully.
Eucalyptus pauciflora subsp. niphophila AGM has proved to be very hardy by its survival through two of Devon's coldest winters. The beautiful trunk and branches in shades of white and buff is very arresting and at this time of year it is irresistibly tactile. As an Australian native, it likes the sun and you can find it in the Tennis Court Garden, in the Long Border and in the Plantman’s Garden.
Cyclamen coum AGM is one of everyone’s favourite spring flowering plants and we have either the species or one of the many cultivars in almost every corner of the garden. Not only are the flowers exquisite, but the accompanying leaves can be handsomely patterned with silver markings. The flowers can be from white to varying shades of pink through to carmine red. They are planted to best effect beneath deciduous trees where the corms will not be disturbed, perhaps mixed with snowdrops and crocuses.
Parrotia persica AGM, a small tree (related to witch hazel) is of interest for most of the year, but in late winter it is of value for its petal-less flowers with bright red stamens borne in dense clusters on bare branches. At Rosemoor it can be found in the Winter Garden and in the Lake area where the humus rich acid soil contributes to the rich autumn colour.
The witch hazels are a wonderful group of flowering shrubs; they have beautifully scented spidery flowers that range in colour from a pale yellow to vibrant reds. Hamamelis × intermedia 'Rubin' has rich orangey-red flowers and can be found in the arboretum in Lady Anne’s garden planted in a group of three for maximum impact. As woodland plants they thrive in part shade and acid soil. They also do not mind being pruned to ensure they stay in their allotted space but can grow to 3m in height and spread.
In winter evergreen bamboos like Phyllostachys aureosulcata f. spectabilis come into their own. We prune out the lower branches to reveal the bright yellow and green culms (hollow stems) in all their glory so that lower growing plants can be placed beneath them such as Hakonechloa macra and Stipa tenuissima. They enjoy a sunny position in the Foliage Garden and a more shaded situation in the Rock Gully.
Sarcococca confusa AGM is one plant that no garden should be without if at all possible. The sweetly scented flowers hide amongst glossy, dark green leaves so effectively that it is sometimes difficult to detect where the fragrance is coming from. Provided it is sheltered from cold winds and in a humus-rich soil, it can be used as a hedge in a shady spot or as ground cover in a woodland garden.
Prunus 'Kursar' AGM is one of the best pink flowering cherries with single, saucer-shaped dark pink blooms borne on bare stems in early spring. When in full flower, branches are barely visible beneath the candy-floss blossom. We have planted ours as specimen plants in sunny positions in the Stone Garden and close to Lady Anne’s house.