Plants, books, events &buys for the month ahead
Elegant display for a cold winter’s day
The ornamental value of the flaming red and yellow branches of dogwood in winter can never be overestimated. Here, Cornus sericea ‘Cardinal’ lights up against the racing green leaves of Buxus sempervirens. Underplanting it with evergreen Erica carnea ‘Winter Snow’, creates a striking contrast that really pops. The height variations give this container display maximum impact, and the eye falls from the long, spiny dogwood stems, to the ruffled, deep purple leaves of heuchera ‘Can-can’, and up again to Carex dipsacea. Pinus heldreichii ‘Smidtii’ adds texture and depth to the display while the saucershaped flowers of pretty plumcoloured Helleborus hybridus bring a touch of elegance.
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It’s the perfect time of year to make sure you have everything you need for seed sowing
TREE-MENDOUS NEWS
Saplings propagated from the 400-year-old apple tree that inspired Sir Isaac Newton’s Theory of Gravity have been auctioned off – with one going to a descendant of the physicist. At a presentation ceremony held at Woolsthorpe Manor, the childhood home of Sir Isaac, 10 winners were presented with their saplings. Among them was a descendant of Sir Isaac’s sister, a Lincolnshire resident who lives only 10 miles from Woolsthorpe, where the original tree can still be seen. The auction, by the National Trust and Blue Diamond Garden Centres, raised £30,000 – with 50% going to the National Trust. More than 1,800 bids were placed to secure a piece of living heritage over the three weeks of the auction.
Andy Jasper, Director of Gardens and Parklands at the National Trust, said, “It was wonderful to see that so many people and organisations understood the rarity of this moment and wanted to be custodians of such a significant tree.”
The National Trust and Blue Diamond will be following the journey of these important trees, with the hope they will still be standing in 400 years.
