Now is the time to start putting the car in the garage overnight, nothing worse when you are in a hurry and have to scrape the ice from the windscreen.
No way the car was going to fit in the garage without a major clear out, so this morning it got the works, what a state of a place! A trip to the local skip with the rubbish, and that’s us in business, cars already indoors.
One small evergreen shrub which usefulness is often underestimated is Skimmia. look out for Rubella, compact evergreen shrub with red-margined, deep green leaves. Dark red flower buds are produced in autumn and these last all through the winter until the white flowers open in spring.
Eventual height is a little over three feet. Prefers soil on the acidic side, position sun or semi shade. This plant is at its very best autumn and winter when the red flower buds are very showy.
Fully hardy in any part of the country, I always notice the excellence of the flower buds of this shrub when seen for sale in the garden centres.
However I have found in consequence years the result is less than satisfying, with rather sparse buds.
Don’t let me put you off trying this one, for it has received the RHS award of garden merit. Perhaps I should try a feeding regime which may well encourage flowering.
© 2006 – 2010, Alistair. All rights reserved.
