Get ready for the magic of spring flowers

Peter Dowdall looks forward to the pleasures of snowdrops, crocus, and other spring flowers in the garden.

THE energy beneath is rumbling at the moment and growth is anxious to start once more.

The magic is beginning to happen under the soil, as nutrients mix with water and rising temperatures trigger chemical reactions and all this results in our winter and early spring beauties emerging above the soil surface now.

Snowdrops, crocus, winter aconites and other early flowering bulbs are all coming to their best from now on, but so too, that most beautiful of perennials the Helleborus orientalis.

Also wrongly referred to as the Lenten Rose, this evergreen perennial likes a slightly damp, shady position, ideal for the edge of a woodland or beneath deciduous trees, provided the soil isn’t too dry.

The reason I say that it is wrong to refer to it as the Lenten Rose is because it normally comes into flower long before Lent, although it will keep going right through Easter.

I adore the pretty little, sometimes speckled flowers which are held atop upright stems which unfurl and open at ground level and will grow up to 30cm in height.

Do remove the foliage in December or January so that the flowers aren’t obscured.

I often wonder is the reason that I like them so much because of the time of year that they flower?

Is it because there is so little else around during these months and the garden can look quite naked and bare? Would I like them so much if they flowered in mid-summer?

Perhaps, but then they would be competing for attention with all the other perennials, along with the summer bedding, roses and everything else that the garden in full swing provides.

The timing of their appearance certainly has something to do with it, but I am sure that I would still have a soft spot for them whenever they were to open up and show themselves off.

Not to be confused with Helleborus niger, the Christmas Rose which flowers during December through to February and sometimes later and produces exclusively white flowers, H orientalis will bring several colours to the garden.

Shades of pink, purple and red along with white, cream and yellow are all represented by this species and because they will grow easily from seed, many new colour combinations are always germinating.

Indeed, if you have happy little Hellebores in your garden and they have the correct growing conditions then they will set seed freely and you will be treated to new shades on an annual basis.

Don’t let that turn you off, they will never set seed to the extent of being a problem. No, you will simply thank them for sending you the gift of free new plants each year.

The seedlings, of course, won’t be true to type. In other words the flower colour will not be the same as the parent plant and this is how new forms and varieties are developed.

If, however you want to bulk up on a particular colour or form, then the only way to be certain is by vegetative propagation, namely division.

There are several opinions as to the best time to do this with some gardeners recommending only to do it in late winter and early spring when the plants are in flower.

I have always lifted and divided my clumps during the autumn. I have done this since before I read that they should be done in the spring, my instinct telling me that, like many other perennials they can be propagated in this way during September and October and guess what, it has always worked.

So in short I guess, it doesn’t really matter when you divide them but do be sure that you divide them into decent enough sized clumps.

Don’t be greedy and try and split one clump into too many individual new plants as I have found that by doing that there is a risk of losing them.

Seed grown plants won’t flower for two or three years but divided plants should be in flower the following year and so will make a bigger impact much quicker.

If you’re looking for varieties a bit more unusual than what’s readily available in garden centres then take yourself off to the specialist plant shows during the year, such as the one in Fota in the spring or Mallow during the summer.

Ashwoood Nurseries in the UK specialise in Hellebores among other plants and many of their Hellebores will be available to purchase at the upcoming Snowdrop Gala in Ballykealy Manor in Carlow on February 6

• For more details on this event contact Hester Forde on 086-8654972 or [e-mail].
• Hester’s own garden in Glounthaune is open by appointment and is well worth a visit over the next month to see her stunning collection of Snowdrops, other bulbs and Hellebores.

WORK FOR THE WEEK

The threat of further cold snaps is constant at this time of the year and you will need to take action to protect your frost-tender plants.

Tree Ferns, Yuccas, certain Cordylines and other tender species should be wrapped in Horticultural fleece or Hessian to keep the frost and snow off the centre of the plant.

Terracotta pots too can be at risk if the temperatures drop too low.

Ensure that they are slightly raised with pot feet or similar so that excess moisture in the pot can drain away as, if it freezes in the pot it will expand and possibly crack the pot.

If a pot is precious or if it is getting extremely cold then you can always move them inside or wrap them in bubble wrap to protect them.