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Gardening expert Alan Titchmarsh has revealed the plant that you need in your garden if you want to have blooms from now until February, and it’s a “classic midwinter favourite”
A gardening expert has revealed the ‘classic midwinter favourite’ everyone should have in their garden.
Gardeners’ World’s Alan Titchmarsh has shared the flowering plant that you need in your garden if you want ‘blooms’ from now until February. According to the gardening expert, viburnum x bodnantense flowers will make a great addition to any outdoor space, particularly if you want a garden that is packed full of flowers even during the colder winter months.
Alan described the plant as a ‘classic midwinter favourite’ and explained that it ‘flowers from now until February’ and features ‘plentiful clusters of highly fragrant pink or off-white flowers’ that really stand out against the bare stems. He added that while there are various varieties to choose from, the most popular variety, which is known as ‘Dawn’, has ‘pale pink flowers’.
The gardening expert explained that they can grow quite large and said: “They are potentially large shrubs, growing up to eight feet in any direction, but they take time to reach that size and can be kept smaller by pruning.” He added that, if you have the space, you could opt to let one grow larger, particularly if it’s in a place where you will regularly walk past it and benefit from the pretty flowers.
Alan also explained that: “It looks best against an evergreen background and if you are thinking of buying one now, keep it in its pot before planting it out. It enjoys rich, fertile soil that’s not boggy, in sun or in light-dappled shade.”
It comes as the green-fingered expert warns that if you like seeing birds in your garden, you shouldn’t allow your grass to grow as birds will not be able to get access to worms. This will put them off returning and if you enjoy the sight of them in your garden you are best to keep your grass short. Titchmarsh advised those who enjoy seeing wildlife in their gardens, not to let the grass grow under their feet. He said: “If you leave all your grass to grow long it makes it more difficult for blackbirds, thrushes and starlings to dig out worms.”
