Search - Articles

out there that punch way, way above their weight when it comes to fragrance.As an example Sarcococca hookeriana, a sparky little evergreen shrub with deep maroony leaf stems and tiny white flowers like the tassels on a stripper. Last year I had one

. Pale custard-yellow flowers, blackish stems and great leaves.Sanguisorba canadensis - I'm a complete sucker for a sanguisorba. This was one of the first I grew and is an absolute star. Spires of sparkly clean white flowers that stand beautifully all

to keep wearing the same size trousers. I could fly off somewhere hot, but sadly that's not terribly practical. Instead, my cheap and easy solution is to talk about summer flowers, with the only proviso being that they can be any colour at all except white

perfectly suited to the smaller garden. It has pure white star-shaped (hence the name 'stellata' as in 'constellation') flowers. It grows very slowly and will reach only about 1.5m after 10 years: given perfect conditions it will eventually top out at about

to live with a big empty space until June. That is not a mistake I will be making again.My third mistake is due to soft-heartedness. One part of the garden has been colonised by Hesperis matronalis 'Alba', the white flowered, scented sweet rocket, which

confection that really should have been immediately composted as soon as the first flower showed. The raspberry rippled pink and white collar would be almost acceptable as camouflage for plankton but when teamed with the urine yellow centre it ventures

nearly as long flowering it has spikes of flower where bonariensis and rigida have plates. It also comes in blue (hastata), pink (hastata rosea) and white (hastata alba). Even more hoorays all round (and perhaps the occasional whoopee.)

no idea which variety they might be, although I expect they are nothing very distinguished. There are many different cultivars, some of which are extremely rare but all of which are small and white. The differences lie in the delicate green markings

that gardeners can do really, except walk around admiring the general loveliness of all this white. Walking in snow requires a surprising amount of energy - a walk that would usually be merely invigorating has suddenly become rather exhausting.The other great

days, stretches of perfect white sand, bobbing seals, heathery hills, shining blue lobsters and lichened rocks. But, even though to the casual observer it may have seemed that I was lolling around all week doing very little, I have been diligent in my