There are over 100 species of Mandevilla but the best to grow in 2010 are often sold under the name Dipladenia. I rate these climbers from Central America as the type of plant you can expect to see in far greater numbers in the coming years.
Mandevilla generally have waxy, fragrant, showy, trumpet-shaped flowers during the growing season in early spring. They are fast growing woody vines that can reach heights of 10 feet so need support. Mandevilla growth is not frost proof and need winter protection although roots may survive.
The fragrant flowers of pink, red and white compensate for slightly sparse foliage.

Top Species to Grow in 2010

Mandevilla boliviensis from Bolivia and Equador flowers white
Mandevilla dodsoni Equador
Mandevilla equatorialis Equador
Mandevilla jamesonii Equador etc
Mandevilla sanderi, Brazilian jasmine vine Aphrodite shown above
Mandevilla scabra
Mandevilla splendens, Brazilian Dipladenia
Mandevilla suaveolens,
Mandevilla laxa, Argentina and Chilean jasmine white flowers

Cultivation
Does well in tubs, conservatories and hanging baskets. Repot as little as possible.
Requires a sunny position but tolerates partial shade.
Needs a well drained mulch or potting mix, with slow release fertiliser as it is a heavy feeder. Feed every two weeks with a fertilizer high in phosphor.
Keep moist but do not allow to stand in water.
Propagate from sturdy wood cuttings in spring.
Look out for cultivars Red Riding Hood, Alice du Pont (pink) and Yellow which has wide, bright yellow flowers. They are lower growing and shrubbier than the species and superb in hanging baskets.
Beware if you grow one as a houseplant as the sap or latex can be caustic and is reputed to remove warts (and all).

There are now 22 recognised species of Cyclamen. It is said that at least one variety is in bloom for every month of the year.
Cyclamen grow in a range of areas and environments from beech woodland, alpine meadows and windowsills through scrub and rocky areas. This tuberous family of plants are predominantly from North Africa, Turkey and Mediterranean areas.

Top Cyclamen Species

C. balearicum
C. colchicum
C. graecum
C. africanum
C. cilicium
C. colchicum
C. coum
C. creticum
C. cyprium
C. hederifolium
C. intaminatum
C. libanoticum
C. mirabile
C. parviflorum
C. persicum
C. pseudibericum
C. purpurascens
C. purpurascens
C. repandum
C. rohlfsianum
C. somalense
C. trochopteranthum

If you are interested in studying further the Cyclamen Society has a good web site

Or an authoritative text Cyclamen: A Guide for Gardeners, Horticulturists and Botanists by Chris Grey-Wilson

Use the comments section below to send us the name of your favourite gardener (not the gardener themselves).
We will add it to our list of 100+ Top Gardeners

Your nomination may be a gardener who inspired you or has left a legacy in the form of an outstanding garden. Both are true for me with Geoffrey Smith and his Rhododendron garden at the Royal Horticultural Garden Harlow Carr where this memorial stone is displayed.

Celebrity gardeners are well represented in our list but you may know of one we have forgotten. As we admit the plant hunter/gatherers are not well represented and we would appreciate nominations is this category.

Sponsors of gardens are becoming a regular feature at shows like Chelsea but the well-to-do have long financed the gardening exploits to create beautiful surroundings for their homes and estates. Do they deserve more recognition or should that only go to the more earthy recipients of the Victoria medal (VMH).

International gardeners deserve a bigger profile and multiple nominations would be welcome. We would all like to know whose work to look out for when visiting new places.

The only task on Christmas Day was to admire the local trees in the snow.

Quick Winter Tips

Conifer branches were weighed down with wet snow and a cane was used to knock excess off before branches broke or were set at an ungainly angle. Some ornamental conifers can be wired up so the shape is retained.

Rock salt was not used on paths where there was any danger of ‘run off’ as the salt could poison the ground and plants.

I tried to avoid walking on lawns when the ground was frozen or covered in snow.

Birds were fed with seeds, peanuts and fat balls to help them through the winter. They will pay back by eating insects later on.

Sowing the Seeds of Success

All good gardeners know that seeds are on your side they want to grow and thrive. Apart for some weedy exceptions that I will save until the end of this article seeds can be coaxed into blooming excess with only a little know how.

Help From the Seeds.

Every seed tells a story and you can learn to read that story by considering the parent plant and the seed itself. To set seed most plants need to be pollinated male to female and many plants are self-fertile. Having taken a deal of trouble to attract pollinators or pollination most plants package up the seeds and plan how to distribute them.

Berries and fruit have a soft or pithy outer case to help. Birds ingest elderberries and deposit the seed where they will.

Poppies have a pepperpot shaker type seed head that allows some ripe seed to be sprinkled each day over several days or weeks.

Aquilegia seed pods contort and twist to ping out seeds in a squirting motion so they travel a distance.

Dandelion seeds have feathery tufts to allow the wind to blow them where you don’t want them (but I said I would save these comments to the end)

So from these examples you can see seed pods protect and help distribution of the seed.

Seed Size and Features

Read the rest of this entry »

An early bulb whose small flowers have an inner sparkle these Chionodoxa are also called Glory of the Snow. Judging by the current weather we are in for a good showing this spring. These bulbs can be planted under deciduous shrubs so they can catch early sun but like open positions. They can be grown in a lawn with crocus, in a container or a rock garden.
After flowering in February or March give the well drained soil a light sprinkle of bone meal to encourage offsets and build up the bulbs.

Various Varieties
Chionodoxa forbestii is a pure deep blue with the familiar white star like centre. Chionodoxa forbestii Rosea or the Starry Pink Giant are other colours to try.
The sky blue Chionodoxa lucillae gigantea will flower 4-6″ tall and self seeds freely.
Chionodoxa sardensis produces deep blue flowers with a slight purple cast
Chionodoxa alba as a white flower works well with species Tulips or Forsythia

Tips
Plant in early autumn as the roots like a bit of warmth to grow.
Chionodoxa need water in the spring so if the ground is dry water regularly from the emerging of foliage until the leaves die.
Try forcing pots of Chionodoxa bringing them inside to flower after 10 weeks out in the cold

Growing inside an alpine house in a three inch pot this “Leucogenes Leontopodium” is also called the New Zealand Edelweiss. It is a herby plant similar to its European Edelweiss cousins. In the Northern Hemisphere I expect this plant will produce white flowers around June.

Leucogenes Leontopodium is a small perennial herb with a woody base. The leaves are densely covered in silky hairs giving it a grey appearance. Clusters of flowers are surrounded by woolly bracts in summer.

Leucogenes grandiceps is a similar plant from the South Island of New Zealalnd

Leontopodium alpinum or Edelweiss grows amongst the rocky limestone mountains of Europe. The plants can be grown from seed but are protected when in the wild.

Outdoor containers made from terracotta or pottery need to be frost proof to avoid cracking. It is also advisable to lift them off the ground so they do not freeze to the path. A hard frost can see the base left behind when the pot is moved. To prevent this you can buy small pot feet, put the container up on bricks or stand it on some gravel or bubble wrap.

Winter Container Care Tips
Keep winter containers out of cold drying wind for the best results. Any shelter will be appreciated by plants that have to do battle with winter conditions.
Winter can often have dry spells so keep an eye on pots that may need some watering. This is also true of pots under roofs and eaves.
I like to use a woooden tub or half barrel and start by lining the container with a few bits of broken flowerpot or polystyrene for drainage.
Plant pre-grown bulbs before adding the other plants with trailing plants at the edge of the container. You can bury small pots in a larger container and change them as necessary.
Plants grow more slowly in winter so pack them in fairly close together to get a quick effect.
If you have special plants that do not like their crowns to get wet put a glass cover over the pot.

Even red leaved plants will photosynthesize. Pigments such as the red anthocyanins will mask the green chlorophyll pigments of some plants. Usually it is is the chlorophyll which is the stronger colour hence the green which predominates but not in these cases. Later in the season chlorophyll breaks down which then allows the other colours to show through. This provides one reason for the Autumn colours in many trees and shrubs.

This Begonia Rex is grown for its strongly coloured foliage and the spikes of light blue/white flowers are inconsequential. They can be propagated by leaf cutting, rooting in water or perlite. As house plants begonias like high humidity. There are many interesting Hybrid Begonias with red leaves and they do look a bit different when massed in the garden or grown indoors as a house plant.

We are covered in snow and the small local roads are blocked. At least the snow is providing a blanket for the early spring bulbs to continue developing. One of my favouirite blooms is that of the Iris in this case grown from a bulb. Later on the rhizomas varieties will also add colour to the garden but in the meantime I eagerly anticipate the arrival of my Iris.

The outer petals are called the falls and on some varieties the ‘beard’ shows here with small hairs. The upright part are the ‘Standard’ which are most striking on Flag Iris.