Daily details from the garden to bring you inspiration throughout the year
One of the wonders of autumn, the delicate and decorative elegance of ivy-leaved sowbread (Cyclamen hederifolium) belies its ruggedness – along with the spring-flowering Cyclamen coum, it can withstand temperatures as low as -20°C. Over the past fortnight I’ve noticed the pink flowers of the native variety pushing their way up through growing piles of leaf litter under Kentish hedgerows, while in gardens the upswept petals of the white-flowered cultivar began to appear – eerily – just after Atwood’s Testaments were released. https://amzn.to/2PufT2Z It’s a plant that bears close study – not least for the manner in which its leaves mimic the ivy clambering up the trunks of trees at the base of which the cyclamen is pleased to grow. Big, blousy relatives will be bought indoors by the box load over winter to adorn mantelpieces and window ledges, but it’s these slight, feisty beauties that capture my heart.
Garden coaching with Andrew O’Brien
Just to let you know, I’ll shortly be opening up a few spaces for one-to-one online garden coaching. The final details are still being tweaked, but if this sounds like something you’d be interested in, let me know on this page so I can tell you as soon as booking opens.
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Hello! I’m Andrew, gardener, blogger, podcaster, and owner of a too-loud laugh, and I’m so pleased you’ve found your way to Gardens, weeds & words. You can read a more in-depth profile of me on the About page, or by clicking the image above.
