After last week's news around how Exxon knew about global warming in the 70s (not really a revelation, I remember this being referenced in comics in the late 80s) I was staring gloomily at the ruinous mess left behind by the second week this winter of deep minus figures and wondering what, if anything, I could do about the cold and the wet....
And then I remembered; it's winter, in the Midlands, and cold and wet is exactly as it should be. So let's list and celebrate some of the plants that will do just fine on miserable wet soil and cope with a temperature plunge to -10° starting with one of my all-time favourites: the Hydrangea.
The Hydrangea I have out back is called Little Lime because my garden is small and the classic mop-heads can get big and I need something pale and crisp to cut through the gloom. With my alkaline soil it may pick up a speckle of pink as it gets older, if it makes it through its first few years. It's a garden show purchase, and I dithered a lot about where to put it, but hopefully it'll be happy.
Trooper #2 is Winter Jasmine, sparkling out its golden flowers on bare stems right now. I got my winter jasmine in the standard way, via a rooted cutting, and had been spreading it round the garden a bit, but in pots. When all the pots dried through this summer, many of my cuttings growing on went. But a few were tough enough to see it through. Winter Jasmine, you're going on a few more fences this year.
Trooper #3 is Bird Cherry. I have a self-seeded interloper sneaking up skyward out front. It'll take a bit of abuse so it's time to start shaping it to make sure I maximise flowers. It it already routinely baubled with sparrows and bluetits waiting to get onto the bird feeder, which is hanging off.....
Trooper #4 Forsythia. Just as spring shouts, it screams, an explosion of sunshine yellow that says spring is here like nothing else can. I took a while picking my plant: went to the nursery when it was in flower so I could get the perfect yellow spark flower mass. It's well established now, so I can start doing the brutal cutting back that you're supposed to do. Do I dare? We'll have to see.
Trooper #5 is Flowering Currant, Ribes. It's pink, and I don't always go for that, but there's something so richly basic about ribes pink I'll forgive it that. It's not subtle, but it grows tough and well and puts a cheery sparkle wherever you put it. Pleased to see you, Ribes!
So here's to it being cold enough to settle the pests and wet enough to fill the water table, and we'll manage, because a UK garden should be able to take the wet and the cold and the murk and the gloom and come up in the spring laughing.
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