SPRING-TIP HEATHERS
In a similar
way that negative thoughts can be replaced by positive ones... an influx of
fresh, positive colours can re-energize and recharge our gardens for a
brilliant spring ahead.
Across every
continent, in every culture, colour dominates and permeates our lives. Colour surrounds us, feeding our senses and
enveloping our moods - we see it, feel it and absorb it - with or without
intent.
Our minds,
bodies and emotions are profoundly affected by colour - lifted and energized by
some and soothed and replenished by others.
Orange, for example - the colour of...fun,
upliftment, glowing creativity, laughter, joy and good humour. It frees and releases emotions, renews
interest and stimulates the mind. How
wonderful then that in the plant world, orange is not a rarity. Amongst spring-tip heathers, it's the colour
of the vermillion-flushed shoots of Calluna
v. ‘Spring Torch', which cover the otherwise serine green foliage each
spring, providing vividly spectacular results.
A summer flowering heather with upright habit, between August and
October, ‘Spring Torch' is studded with mauve flowers over the creamy-pink
tipped foliage, as it changes with chameleon tendencies.
Spring-tip heathers
generally have the most wonderful new growth, in striking contrast to their usual
summer foliage colour of green. Well
before the ‘spring' of their name, varieties such as Calluna v. ‘Ruby Slinger' can set creamy yellow new shoots,
sometimes as early as November - and
remember too that these plants often flower freely, with lavender, pink or red,
- or pristine white bell-shaped blooms as in the case of ‘Ms Slinger'.
Not
surprisingly, the colour ‘green' has a strong affinity with nature, enabling us
to connect symbiotically with the natural world. Interestingly, it is believed that we seek it
during times of stress and emotional upset, for its feeling of comfort,
calmness, relaxation and space. Just as
in our lives, also in the garden, green has rebalancing qualities - the perfect
colour for a lawn, soothing the eye before a hectic riot of summer border
colour.
Historically
sound, gardeners in the 1800's revered the heather, along with clipped box, as
one of the most useful and hard working of garden plants; seldom harbouring
slugs and producing a good, thick weed-suppressant groundcover. Harking back to Greek and Roman civilizations,
the summer flowering Calluna takes
its name from ‘to sweep', possibly a reference to its use in besoms or broom, where
as ‘vulgaris' is derived from the
Latin word for ‘common'.
Thankfully,
there is nothing common or vulgar about these colourful ‘spring tips'. Varieties like ‘Sir John Charrington' - a
summer flowering heather of noble upright stature and red foliage in winter,
bronze in spring and golden yellow in summer - finally tipped with deep scarlet
in Autumn, topped off with deep crimson flowers opening from August to October.
‘Red', the
colour of power, drive, vitality and ambition, can help anyone wash away
negative thoughts. Set to become a key
accent colour for this season's soft furnishings in its deeper claret shades,
it's the most physical of colours, stimulating the heart and mind, and raising
blood pressure.
‘Rebecca's
Red', another form of Calluna vulgaris, brandishes
new spring shoots in orange-tipped red, before lilac-pink flowers from August
to September - above wholesome dark green foliage. Likewise, ‘Red Fred' sports brilliant red
spring tips on taller, masculine 50cm plants.
‘Pink' on the
other hand, the colour of intimacy, tenderness and warmth has a supporter in
‘Mrs Pat', a heather of dainty upright habit with attractive light green
foliage that's tipped with pink for most of the year. Pale lavender flowers are a bonus from September
to November, as are the kindred lavender blooms and hot salmon-pink new shoots
of ‘Leslie Slinger', a fellow pink aficionado.
For happy
heathers, treat them all to ericaceous or lime-free compost; plant in full sun
for best flowering and shelter from blasting winds and road salt spray to
protect their colourful, tender tips.
By listening to
and learning to speak the language of colour, we can all re-energise our
gardens...and our lives, with a rich palette of positivity for the springtime
ahead.
OBSERVATIONS
FROM THE GARDEN GATE...
Explore thrifty
ideas for living off your land that could save you £'s in the shops...
Chickens,
ducks, geese and guinea fowl are great fun to keep and don't need as much space
as you may think. Supplement their diet
of layers pellets and grain with kitchen scraps and ‘throw away' foliage from
the vegetable patch, to ensure rich, dark-yoked eggs.
·
Turn
your kitchen windowsill into a temporary propagation unit, starting spring
seedlings and vegetable plants into growth.
·
Use
plastic take-away cartons with lids and tin can plant pots that can be recycled
at the end of the season.
You can still taste the
‘Good Life' even without a garden, by baking your own bread - a great family pursuit
for a Sunday. There's nothing more
satisfying than pulling fresh crusty loaves straight from a warm oven, and filling
the house with comforting aroma!
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