Yes, Its dark, gloomy and cold (It is January), but there are still flowers and colour to be had in your garden.
Here are some of my favourites that are easy to grow (and not snow drops). Just plan, plant and sit back and wait for next January...…
Clematis. Plan it right, and you can have a clematis flowering in every month of the year.
L-R Clematis cirrosha "Lansdowne Gem", Clematis cirrosha "Ourika valley", Clematis cirrosha "Freckles"
These clematis are all evergreen and need no pruning. What's not to love. My favourite is Freckles. Luckily for me, I don't grow Freckles, but it has invaded from my neighbours garden, so I get to enjoy it for free.
Hellebores. A woodland plant, so really ideal for partial shade. As they start to flower, they can develop black spot of their leaves, so cut back the foliage and enjoy the flowers -which is why they deserve a place in your garden. Watch out for semi tender varieties tend to be teh fancier ones like the double below), and if you have lots in your space, the plants can cross pollinate and lose their original colour. This can lead to some happy accidents, but mostly I find you get a bit of a muddy pink...
Iris reticulata. My favourite flower colour is purple, any shade of purple, form lilac to near black. A flower of hope for me is Iris reticulata, it signals winter is starting to end and the nights will get lighter. I have a pot on my terrace table that I can see from the kitchen. When I see the purple emerge….happy days
Plant in the the small bulbs in the Autumn, cover pot with grit and sit back and wait.
Shrubs. Shrubs I hear you say. Really?, its not 1970's is it? No its not, and they are a question of taste, but used correctly they add great structure for year round interest. Their flowers and scent are often also overlooked. So, here are 3 that have January flowers and January scent, and suitably 70's names
L-R Lonicera "Winter beauty", Daphne "Perfume Princess", Lonicera Fragrantissima