Seasonal notes

What's Looking Good Now - Feb 2012

Walking around the garden in early January, the visitor will find over 20 different species in flower; for some southern hemisphere plants such as Grevillea rosmarinifolia, Grevillea victoriae, Correa backhouseana and Correa alba, (all in the raised beds outside the Visitors Centre) this is their usual flowering season, however, at the bottom of the Garden by Beach Path, many of the evergreen Azaleas are in full flower a couple of months early.

On Fox Hill  Lonicera fragrantissima (Shrubby Honeysuckle) a semi-evergreen shrub has delightfully fragrant, cream-coloured flowers during late winter and spring and nearby Mahonia x media ‘Charity’ bears deep yellow flowers borne in ascending racemes.

Below Alice’s Seat the Sarcococca confusa (Sweet Box), at the time of writing, is in full flower.  This small evergreen from Asia with a dense spreading habit fills the air with a wonderful sweetness that, depending on which way the breeze is blowing can be detected in many parts of the garden.

On the main lawn the Acacia pravissima is also coming into flower and further down at the top of Beach Path, Acacia dealbata and A. baileyana ‘Purpurea’are following suite.

Other plants to look out for are the early Camellias on Camellia Walk, Badgers Walk and Petrys Path and a few hidden gems such as Exochorda macrantha ‘The Bride’ (Camellia Walk) and Euryops virgineus (Stuarts Hill).  Countless Snowdrops are emerging throughout the garden.