When the climate is mild, and the soil not too heavy, the Laurustinus (Viburnum tinus) is of great value in winter and early spring. The yellow Jasmine and the shrubby Honeysuckles, Lonicera fragrantissima and L. Standishi, are easy to grow, and should be seen in every open-air winter garden, as also should the old Daphne Mezereon, single and double, the double Furze (Ulex Europaeus flore pleno), and the evergreen Garrya elliptica with its hardier variety Thuretii. The Garrya is hardy enough in many gardens, but in exposed or cold situations profits by being afforded the shelter of a wall or other screen. Many other winter flowering shrubs and flowers might be named, but I must refer readers to the list of winter bloomers which forms an appendix to my "Chronicle of a Cornish Garden."
Great, however, as is the importance of growing as many as possible of the plants which bear flowers through the months of winter, the value of evergreen and evergrey foliage must not be overlooked. Among the latter may be named Lavender, Rosemary, Pinks, Carnations, Mulleins, Alyssum, Lavender Cotton, Stachys chrysantha, Achillea umbellata, Achillea moschata, Silene maritima, Hieraceum villosum, H. gymnocephalus, Cistus (of sorts), Artemisia lanata, Agrostemma, Senecio leucophyllus, Teucrum aureum, Cerastium tomentosum, Arabis variegata, Gypsophilum repens, Festuca glauca, Sedum Turkestanicum, Olearia insignis, Agrostemma coronaria, Onopordon arabicum. To give a list of useful evergreen plants would require much more space than I have to spare, but the following names may possibly be of some help. Of evergreen trees and shrubs, Yew, Hollies, Box, Tree Ivies, Pernettyas, Ruscus racemosus, the silver-edged Euonymus radicans variegatus, Berberis aquifolium, Aucuba Japonica (and other kinds), Kalmia latifolia, Rhododendrons, Ericas, Sand Myrtles, Dwarf Partridge Berries, Andromedas, Skimmias, Olearia Haasti and Phillyrea Vilmoriana, are among the most useful and interesting. The number of valuable evergreen border plants is almost infinite; the following list includes some of the best:—
- Saxifrages, kinds numerous.
- Sedums, kinds numerous.
- Sempervivums, kinds numerous.
- Gentiana acaulis.
- Gentiana verna.
- Primulas, kinds numerous.
- Helleborus, kinds numerous.
- Dwarf phloxes.
- Forget-me-nots.
- Thymus, of sorts.
- Acanthus.
- Iris, kinds numerous, especially valuable being I. fœtidissima with brilliantly red seeds.
- Omphalodes, of sorts.
- Aubrietia.
- Arabis.
- Vinca.
- Violas and Violets.
- Iberis.
- Sternbergia.
- Megaseas.
- Aquilegias.
- Asarum, of sorts.
- Wallflowers.
- Cyclamen, of sorts.
Evergreen ferns should be grown in gardens much more than they usually are. The following are a few of the hardiest kinds:—
- Asplenium angustifolium.
- Asplenium ebenum.
- Aspidium Floridanum.
- Camptosorus rhizophyllus.
- Dictogramma Japonica.
- Lastrea marginalis.
- Lastrea Standishi.
- Lastrea aristata.
- Lastrea corusca.
- Lastrea fragrans.
- Lomaria alpina.
- Niphobolus lingua.
- Polystichum acrostichoides.
- Polystichum setosum.
- Phygopteris alpestris.
- Woodsia alpina.
The British species of Asplenium, Blechnum, Ceterach, Polypodium, Polystichum and Scolopendrium are often useful and always available.