A SPLASH OF COLOUR FOR WINTER

Well it had to happen, it seems that winter is now with us and we wake up to find the hard overnight frost has turned our gardens a sparkling white. I have now brought my pots of smaller tender plants indoors, the larger ones have been pulled up close to the house wall. My camellias are sited in a sheltered position where they are out of the morning sun so they should be fine. Sadly sunshine on frosted buds can cause them to turn brown and die. So many gardens are short of bright colour at this time of year and if this is one of your problems why not consider planting some Winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum). This lovely and cheerful plant is remarkably easy to grow, although without the right basic treatment it may only show a few flowers. It will tolerate poor soil conditions but where possible prefers a shadier position. The plants benefit from a mulch in autumn and spring. In both mid-spring and mid-summer they will enjoy being fed with a high potash fertilizer. For your plant to flower to the best of its potential it needs to be pruned every year. It isn’t really self-supporting and does best when tied into a fairly robust framework of some kind. After flowering cut everything back hard to the framework. It also helps every year to cut a third of the main stems right back to the ground. I know it seems tough but you will be repaid the following winter by masses of brilliant yellow star-like flowers. If your plant has become old and woody it should regenerate if cut back hard in early spring, as soon as it has finished flowering.

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