Acacia dealbata

I followed a gorgeous scent in a garden centre this week and was led to Acacia dealbata just coming into flower. It was in a sheltered area with overhead cover but open to the elements and further research tells me it will survive several hits of frost up to -10C .  However they dislike cold and wet ground and prolonged icy weather will severely damage the leaves and flowers especially any newly emerging branches. That said I would risk it near the protection of the house where it can grow up to 6 metres and provide softly scented mimosa flowers wafting their perfume through windows from March through to April. The feathery branches carry silver leaves that look lovely cut as in-fill for pots of flowers . If I do decide to plant one I’ll look for Acacia dealbata var.subalpina which is used to high altitude. Struck down by severe frost it should recover if cut back to 1 metre to provoke multi-stems at the base and thereafter it could be kept as a shrub.

Pulmonaria saccharata is in bloom providing ground cover under the Amelanchii lamarckii which is just showing curled up bronze-pink leaves ready to open over the next four weeks.

And a pretty primrose arrived from nowhere last year and has self-seeded round the garden and has been in flower for weeks. I shall lift them and re-plant in the ‘woodland’ bit as soon as the flowers are over.

I picked quantities of hellebores for the house and followed a Sarah Raven tip. She suggests you cut and place immediately into a container of water. You then sear the cut end over a flame for 60 seconds. The stem retains the water and is kept upright as seen here five days after picking.