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Monthly Musings from Moors Meadow
I saw my first swallow of the season on 15th April, a good sign that summer is on the way though that was a cold, misty, damp day and as mum would say “one swallow does not a summer make”. The only thing we did in the garden on that day was to move some Anchusa which we keep digging out of the fruit cage but the roots are so deep it would take serious digging to get completely out and along with some pink Allium cernuum we planted them under the patch of damson trees, the area is really filling up with plants now and looking quite colourful.
We are pleased to have most of the vegetable seeds planted except for the carrots which we plant quite late to try to avoid root fly, for the same reason we also put fleece over them when the plants are young and plant French Marigold around them. I don’t know which works best but we don’t have much problem with the dreaded root fly so we will keep edging our bets and do them all. Planting onions and garlic near carrots also helps but as we grow so little of these that we don’t make a point of doing it.
We have also spread a few thousand snowdrops so when they multiply (which doesn’t take very long) it will be an even more impressive display early in the year.
I have been potting on a lot of plants for the nursery, mostly shrubs, herbaceous perennials, bulbs and grasses. Some of the new ones this year include; Epipactis helleborine - a member of the Orchid family for woodland areas, Campanula cochleariifolia (Fairies Thimbles) for the rock garden or containers, a variety of Iris for wet and dry areas and Nectaroscordum siculum (which has been re-named from Allium siculum), it is about 30ins (75cm) with beautiful drooping bell-shaped flowers, which also look impressive in bud and grows copiously in sun or shade. I have also potted up some Neillia thibetica, a lovely arching shrub with racemes of pink flowers. All these are tried and tested in our garden and I do tell people if something can become rampant such as the Allium as I don’t want them cursing me if it takes over more of their gardens than they bargained for.
There are some amazing plants flowering in May from one of our little gems under the shrubberies, Arisarum proboscideum (Mouse Plant), you need to peek through the leaves to see the round purplish-brown hoods elongating to 6ins (15cm) curled tails. To Davidia involucrata (Handkerchief Tree), a stately specimen with it large white bracts waving in the air above your head. I think it must be one of my favourite months with winter behind us and the thought of long hot lazy summer days ahead (there’s no harm in dreaming!), the garden a mass of colour and everything looking fresh and bright and buzzing and twittering all around (I’m talking about the bees and birds here not us!).
The sunny weather has given Mellors an altogether healthy colour.
Plant of the month; Akebia Quinata (Chocolate Vine)
There are 4 species of these deciduous or semi-evergreen twining climbers from China, Korea and Japan. They like cool moist humus-rich soil with the base of the plant in part shade. They are said to be moderately frost hardy but are as “tough as old boots” in our garden. You can prune after flowering and even cut down to base every 3 or 4 years to remove tangled growth but we let ours romp away to their hearts content. It will grow to 30 feet (10m) or more and needs a strong support.
Akebia quinata has slightly fragrant purple-mauve drooping flowers, the leaves are divided into 5 leaflets. Male and female plants are needed for the females to produce the sausage-shaped edible fruits.
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