Gardening

Making the most of Snowdrops

Snowdrops and crocuses

Snowdrops are a favourite at Rosemoor as they herald the coming of spring and bring hope that the dark days of winter are numbered.

Once you have found a place where they are happy, snowdrops will easily multiply and it won’t be long until you are able to divide clumps and spread them around the garden – you can never have too many snowdrops. Eventually you will have a ground cover of these delightful plants at a time of year when the borders can look very bare. There are many cultivars available, but for large swathes, we tend to favour the wild snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis AGM as well as cultivars with larger flowers such as G. ‘Atkinsii’ AGM and G. ‘S. Arnott’ AGM. These can be relied upon to bulk up to spectacular displays in just a few years. At Rosemoor, we plant snowdrops in amongst the colourful stems of Cornus and Salix. One of the most striking combinations, which we repeat throughout the garden, is Galanthus ‘Atkinsii’ AGM with the bright red stems of Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ AGM. Yellow Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’ AGM forms a more muted display but is no less impressive. Snowdrops between and beneath deciduous winter flowering shrubs will create an unrivalled winter display. Hamamelis produce fragrant flowers on bare stems, which can produce a brightly coloured backdrop to the pure white snowdrops. H. x intermedia ‘Arnold Promise’ AGM is one of the best with bright yellow flowers. Those of H. ‘Brevipetala’ are intense orange and H. x intermedia ‘Rubin’ AGM displays ruby red flowers. Try planting your snowdrops beneath a tree with ornamental bark, for example Prunus serrula with shining red bark. Other trees with ornamental bark, including the paperbark maple (Acer griseum AGM) with peeling, papery chestnut bark and the snakebark maples displaying striated bark, available in greens, reds, browns and white combine well. Snowdrops also look great planted beneath silver birches. If these are planted in front of evergreens, then you have a combination that shines from the border on the dullest of winter days. Hellebores are a must when choosing plants to combine with snowdrops. Reliably free-flowering if planted in a sheltered position, H. x hybridus comes in a wide range of colours, from smoky purples through reds, pinks, whites, pale lemons and apricots so you can have almost any colour combination that takes your fancy.

Many bergenias flush red in the winter, intensifying with the cold. Those with small leaves such as Bergenia ‘Wintermärchen’ AGM make a lovely contrast with the pure white of the snowdrops. Try naturalising snowdrops in an area of lawn that you can allow to grow wild. Combine the wild snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis AGM, with early crocuses, species Narcissus, winter aconites and cyclamen beneath the canopy of a tree, to give a charming mid-winter display. Snowdrops are wonderfully versatile, bringing life to the winter garden and when combined with other winter flowering plants, lift the spirits on cold, dank days and on sunnier days, shine from the borders.

Galanthus ‘Atkinsii’ AGM and Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ AGM (5).

Jobs for January/February

Prune apples and pears Apples and pears need to be pruned in winter when the leaves are off the tree. Aim to take between 10-20% of the overall canopy off in any one winter, creating an open centre.

Clean pots and greenhouses ready for spring Cleaning the greenhouse, greatly improves the growing environment for plants. It lets in more light and helps control pests and diseases. Start forcing rhubarb For an early harvest of tender and pink rhubarb, cover the crowns with a layer of straw or bracken then cover with an upturned bucket or traditional clay rhubarb pot to exclude light. Stalks will be ready to pull two-three weeks earlier than uncovered crowns but do not pull stalks for the rest of the season. In February, chit potato tubers. It is important with earlies, and a good idea with maincrops, to ‘chit’ the seed potatoes before planting, allowing them to start sprouting shoots.

Rhubarb growing under a forcing pot Neil Hepworth

Prune winter flowering shrubs that have finished flowering. Deciduous shrubs that flower in late winter need annual pruning when they have finished flowering to encourage strong, healthy shoots and to improve flowering the flowing season.

Cutting back grasses Tim Sandall

Cut back deciduous grasses. When these grasses start to look scruffy and battered by the winter weather, and before new growth starts, it is time to cut them back. It is also the right time to remove dead foliage from evergreen grasses.

Sheila Dearing

PLANTS FOR WINTER COLOUR EVERYTHING FOR FISHKEEPERS TOO!

Al your Winter Need BIG SALE NOW ON!

Winter Bedding, & Frost Protection. Heaters & Fireside Accessories. Logs, Coal, & Kindling. STARTING 27TH DECEMBER - JANUARY Make the most of our SALE with savings across Aquariums, Gardening across Aquariums, Gardening Equipment, Water Features, Gifts, Christmas & more...

Relax in our Waterside Café 2 COURSES FOR ONLY £10!

Offer mid week (Jan) on selected meals.

Life in the 21st century places complex demands on young people, and we know that when GCSE-level students are considering which step to take next, it can feel like they have to make a choice between pursuing academic excellence or learning the vocational skills that will best prepare them for their future careers.

That’s why, in addition to our creative UAL Level 3 Extended Diplomas in Creative Practice, we’re the first non-private education provider in the South West to offer students aged 16 to 19 the International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (IBCP) alongside their Extended Diploma. The IBCP gives students a competitive advantage when entering Higher Education or moving directly into their chosen industry. Lauren Pemberton, who studied IB English Literature, IB Psychology and a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Art & Design, said: “Since coming to Plymouth College of Art instead of staying at Sixth Form at my old school, I feel like I really fit in. You’re allowed to be your own person here, whereas school felt restrictive.” Our students go on to establish careers across a range of disciplines - from writing their own bestselling books like Florence Given, who graduated in 2017 from our Fashion & Textiles course, to producing music videos for Cardi B, Dua Lipa and Kanye West like Pablo Jones-Soler who graduated in 2010. Other graduates have gone on to study at world renowned universities - Xanthe Burdett completed a UAL Foundation Diploma in Art & Design at Plymouth College of Art in 2014, and went on to study Education, English and Drama at Cambridge University. On Results Day in Summer 2021, Robyn De Jager, who studied IB Environmental Science and Systems, IB Psychology, and a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Art & Design, said: “Studying at Plymouth College of Art has been great. Compared to friends who stayed on at grammar school for Sixth Form, we’ve felt like we have been treated like adults and have developed better relationships with our teachers here at Plymouth College of Art.” The results our students achieve demonstrate the positive impact our creative learning environment has; in 2021 52% of Plymouth College of Art UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma students obtained a Distinction, which is equivalent to 3 A*s at A-level or 168 UCAS points.

CHOOSE A COURSE

UAL Level 3 Extended Diplomas

We offer six different pathways to specialised creative qualifications, designed by artists, designers and performers. Awarded by University of the Arts London (UAL), they are equivalent to three full A-Levels or a maximum of 168 UCAS points, and are recognised by UCAS, and by creative industry employers. Pathways include: Art & Design Photography Film, Animation & Media Production Graphics, Illustration & Game Arts Fashion & Textiles Performing and Production Arts

UAL Foundation Diploma in Art & Design

If an Extended Diploma is not quite right for you, we also offer a Foundation Diploma. This is a chance for students to spend a year discovering, experimenting and exploring across a wide range of disciplines – as well as maximising their chances of gaining a First if they decide to progress on to degree-level study.

Find out more about our Post-16 courses at one of our upcoming Open Days, or visit our website: www.plymouthart.ac.uk/study/pre-degree