PLUM AND MOLASSES
MARCH
Barrenwort (Epimedium x versicolour ‘Sulphureum’)
Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus)
Cherry plum (Prunus cerascoides)
Christmas rose (Helleborus ‘Anna’s Red’)
Lenten rose (Helleborus ‘Shades of the Night’)
Ivy (Hedera helix)
Star jasmine (Trachelosermum jasminoides)
Aesme Studio ceramic footed bowl
Kenzan & chicken wire
We cannot sing the praises of Epimedium enough! We grow many different varieties in the cutting garden and they are low-maintenance, tough, excellent ground cover. For the flower arranger they provide attractive colourful foliage with interesting mottling. A little fiddly to arrange because the stems are so skinny, they tend to move around until you have a full vase but they last very well in water and produce a mass of tiny, spurred flowers that are charming in early spring. The desiccated bramble is a favourite addition from the hedgerow - the birds never got to the berries and they have dried on the stem, fading to a beautiful copper colour. The ivy berries are a textural addition - like spherical clusters of peppercorns, the matt purple works well with the hellebores. I strip the leaves, which are bright green and glossy, preferring to allow the Epimedium the limelight.
