While the temperature has dropped considerably over the past couple of weeks, the quality of plants in The Secret Garden certainly hasn’t! A wander through the nursery promises beautiful specimens on every level, from magnificent evergreen Magnolias, to a range of showy leucadendrons and some very pretty natives, like the Pink Starlet croweas in 6″ pots, Lemon Daze grevillea, and Cherry Candles banksia.
Different kinds of lavender are providing a nice perfume in the nursery; the Avonview and french varieties are looking especially stunning right now. We have plenty of lush looking Tahitian lime and Lisbon lemon trees (both good in cold climates) to chose from, and the advanced Silver Sheen pittosporums are looking fantastic – they are absolutely one of the best screening shrubs you can buy.
It may be too cold to be putting in the hard yards in the garden, but it is a good time to look at spots you might want to fill come spring. It’s also a great opportunity to check out trees’ structures while their limbs are bare, and pick ones that will suit your garden layout. The Secret Garden boasts a variety of deciduous trees, including weeping silver birch, ornamental pears, maples, and claret and golden ash. Our Magnolia Vulcans have started putting out their fuzzy buds on bare branches, and the dogwoods’ boldly coloured stems don’t need leaves to show off.
Winter is not short on flowers, in case you were wondering! The camelias are really putting on a show for us with their big blooms; hellebores are in full flower; and we have some some lovely daphnes in 6″ pots that are about to burst their buds. Pansies, sutura cordata (bacopa) and osteospermums provide interest in spots where deciduous trees are taking a break. Don’t forget to take a look at our impressive collection of garden art to find some some quirky critters or sculptures to enhance a bare space at your place.
We’re open every day in winter from 10am – 5pm. See you in The Garden soon!