Apart from a lovely clematis which was still blooming in Sue Gillings' garden on 10th December, the flowers of 2020 seem a distant memory.
However, at Skinners Cottage, Spring is on its way despite the relatively cold temperatures of the last few days.
It is the time of year when gardening begins to get exciting again; I love to see the hellebores peaking through and all you need is to cut off the leaves to expose the flowers and suddenly there is colour in your garden again. It is still early days and there are plenty which are still barely up but there are one or two front runners as you can see from the photos below.
Another plant which is so easy to grow once you have it established is euphorbia oblongata; you can see it here beginning to flower and the bright green/yellow of the flowers is a great contrast to other early flowering plants, particularly tulips. Once established, it will happily self-seed in all the right places.
Also putting it head above the planter early are the tiny petticoat daffodils; they are a paler yellow than I remember, but so delicate.
Finally, I want to introduce you to a shrub which I think should be more widely known. It provides a great contrast to its predominantly green surroundings; it is Loropetulum (probably Black Pearl). It likes some shade and is potentially tender if left out in an exposed area, but it has been looking very striking in the border between the house and the Gatehouse for a number of years now.
With best wishes for 2021
Rosemary
