Curator’s Corner – February Edition

Over the garden fence February 26th 2023

FEBRUARY’S PLANT OF THE MONTH by Michael White – Garden Curator

In February when the garden is often under the roof and in the teeth of winter from purple buds, a plant opens its small clusters of soft pink flowers that fill the surrounding air with its intoxicating fragrance. This intoxicating sweet fragrance will kiss you on the nose long before it reveals itself to your eyes as its fragrance can travel quite a distance on an accommodating breeze

– Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’

This Daphne often begins its display in January peaking through February and still producing flowers in March. It was named for the wife of Alan Postill who raised this plant from a Daphne that was collected on the foothills of Nepal in the 1960s named Daphne bholua ‘Gurkha’ that we also grow nearby its offspring.A must-have plant for fragrance in the winter garden and a group of twenty-five can be found growing on the fragrant walk here at Mount Congreve.

OTHER PLANTS TO SEE THIS MONTH

Another plant looking good in the garden this month is Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’ with its numerous creamy white drooping tassells often to a foot long giving it a most elegant appearance. Planted on the exterior wall of the kitchen garden leading to the Bell- gate and close by look for an Irish cultivar of Garrya named for the Glasnevin Botanic Garden. Garrya ‘ Glasnevin Wine’ has tassells with wine-coloured markings.

GARRYA ELLIPTICA ‘JAMES ROOF’

Many camellias are beginning to flower a favourite here is Camellia ‘Buttermint ‘ a soft yellow miniature on the Fragrant Walk.

Enjoy spotting the different snowdrops in our collection of over seventy cultivars. And maybe February will welcome back some of our magnolias. Yes after a brief slumber, the garden is awakening again and it never fails to excite. From now till next winter there will be something new to see almost every day in the garden.Oh and have a listen for the woodpeckers drumming on the trees as they are back in the garden.

Enjoy and have fun!