Gardening Sunshine and Sadness; I will start with the latter first. The Miller houses in Warriston were built in the mid 1950s when the garden boundaries were divided by wooden posts and wire. Over the years these have collapsed and alternative styles of fences and divisions have been erected. Hedges have been planted but even now, these are becoming old and decrepit. One such in our garden was an Escallonia which has gradually become woody and fewer young shoots have been produced. That has now been dug out. The frosty weather in December proved to be too much for a Rosemary which was also ‘showing its age.’ Fungal spores enter cracks in the bark of trees and shrubs. In a summer storm last year, almost half of a lilac tree blew down because of a bracket fungus growing near the base. Next to go will be a Berberis darwinii where ‘Jelly ear’ fungus is producing its rubbery looking fruiting bodies. Worst of all is that a Victoria plum tree has silver leaf disease. There are now no chemical controls available to treat these problems and pruning has limited effect.
On a brighter side, the grassy strip at the west end of Warriston Drive has been brightened by crocuses planted last autumn. A selection of Narcissus, (Daffodils) are emerging and some ornamental onions, Allium flowers are appearing. For future years, snowdrop bulbs have been planted ‘in the green’ to give a white carpet in February. Along by the walkway, Wordsworth would have approved in seeing ‘A host of Golden Daffodils’ on the embankment so long as nobody thinks that they would look better in their house. Two Berberis, seedlings from the above, will have orange flowers in April. For next year, a group of golden yellow winter aconites should brighten up the garden. High upon the embankment south of the bridge were several dense clumps of snowdrops, hardly seen by anyone. These have been lifted, divided and re-located further along the walkway in large drifts where they can be enjoyed.
Bill Tait
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