Plant of the Month November 2011: Cyclamen
 There are 23 species of Cyclamen, a perennial grown from tubers, both outdoors and indoors in pots, commonly for their flowers. Their flowers have upswept petals and variably patterned leaves. Cyclamen species are native to Europe and the Mediterranean region east to Iran, with one species in Somalia.
Cyclamen have a tuber from which the flowers and roots grow. In most species, leaves come up in autumn, grow through the winter, and die in spring, then the plant goes dormant through the dry Mediterranean summer.
In many languages, Cyclamen species are colloquially called by a name smilar to the English sowbread, because they are said to be eaten by pigs: pain de pourceau in French, pan porcino in Italian, varkensbrood in Dutch.
Several species, particularly Cyclamen hederifolium, are hardy and can be grown outdoors.
Cyclamen bloom in different seasons, depending on the species. One of the first to flower in autumn (September – December) is Cyclamen hederifolium, so called because its leaves are shaped like ivy.
They may look delicate but cyclamen are born survivors. Unlike the larger Florist's cyclamen (C.persicum) which is frost-tender, C hederifolium is much tougher and will take the worst that the winter weather can throw at it without any problem.
C hederifolium is one of the hardiest and most enduring forms. This pretty clump forming perennial grows to 10 -13 cms high with glossy ivy-shaped leaves and pink, red or white butterfly type flowers. The marbled effect leaves appear after flowering and remain all winter giving valuable ground cover and colour under trees or shrubs.
These plants need well-drained humus-rich soil and partial shade.
They are perfect for those shady areas of the garden, under trees and shrubs or in the rockery. They don’t like to be buried too deep, about 30cms apart with their fat corms just below the soil surface is just what they like.
When they have finished flowering and the seedpod begins to form, the stem coils or bends. It is fascinating to see that the seedpod is literally drilled into the soil around the main plant enabling the clump to spread over the years.
Cyclamen hederifolium features in many of the planting designs in the winter flowering tubs and baskets now available for purchase from Laetitia Terry at Glanrhyd Nursery in Stag’s Head. All the containers are full of a selection of winter flowering cyclamen, pansies and polyanthus, evergreens, heathers, trailing perennials and spring bulbs to ensure that you have colour in your garden right through the winter.
Tel: 01974 2992965
Email: glanrhydnursery@btinternet.com
Web: www.glanrhydnursery.co.uk
Plant of the Month October 2011: Vaccinium corymbosum - Blueberry
 As the first frosts of Autumn remind us that winter is on its way, it's not too late to still enjoy the last fruits of summer, Blueberries! Although you can start cropping these refreshing berries from July there are still bountiful harvests to be had right through October. Blueberries like our conditions in west Wales, our naturally acid soil and plenty of rain is just what they like. They are very hardy, last winters extreme cold was no problem for Blueberries. 'Patriot', (an early variety hardy to -29C) although you will have already enjoyed its fruit, now puts on a spectacular show of colour with flaming red foliage. Blueberries like a site in full sun or part shade and can cope with coastal conditions, slugs are no problem for these tough plants. Although they are classed as self-fertile two varieties of the same season will produce a much heavier crop. Varieties that will fruit for you now include 'Elisabeth', 'Legacy' (an evergreen) and 'Darrow'.
The fruit of The Blueberry is not only delecious but very healthy, packed with vitamin C and antioxidents and great favourite with children. In fact, if you were planning on a pie or muffins, you better make sure that you get in there before they do!
Helen Warrington has a large selection of Blueberries available now at Ty Cwm Nursery, Tel: 01570 480655
Plant of the Month Aug 2011: Thalictrum delavayi 'Hewitt's Double'
This lovely sterile meadow rue is at its best this month. Low mounds of aquilegia-like foliage are topped with airy stems of beautiful lilac flowers which sway in the breeze. Hardy, enjoying a moist soil in part shade it looks super in woodland or the back of a shady border. To propagate you divide in late spring because it sets no seed.
Buy online at Penlan Perennials
Plant of the Month July 2011: Geranium 'Mavis Simpson'
A lovely prostrate hardy geranium, with flowers all summer, from May to October. The foliage is silvery grey and velvety to the touch. Good low habit, spreading to about 90cm/3ft but never more than 15cm/6in tall! Easy, hardy and slug and snail resistant, making it ideal for west Wales! In mild winters it remains evergreen. Can be grown from cuttings taken in late spring. Mulch in autumn.
Buy online at Penlan Perennials
Plant of the Month June 2011: Gunnera Manicata - Giant Rhubarb
The giant of the bog garden, measuring up to 10ft high and wide! Native of Brazil it makes a dramatic statement in any large garden, but must have lots of moist to wet soil to do well. The huge umbrella leaves can be up to one metre (3ft) across, borne on prickly stems. Conical brown flowers appear in spring on mature plants. Gunnera needs winter protection and will survive to -15C. Simply cut the leaves off the stems in late October and turn them upside-down, impaling them on the cut stems and pushing down over the crown of the plants.
Gunnera manicata is available from Penlan Perennials, together with over 100 bog and waterside plants.
Plant of the Month May 2011: Convallaria majalis - Lily of the Valley
The highly scented flowers of Lily of the Valley are in full bloom this month. Convallaria is an excellent plant for shade, loves slopes and banks, and is equally happy placed under shrubs. It prefers a neutral to alkanine soil (not peat), where it will bulk up readily and make good ground cover. There is a lovely pink flowered form (Convallaria majalis 'Rosea'), a rare double white form (Convallaria m. 'Prolificans') and a stunning variegated plant (Convallaria m. 'Albostriata'). All of these can be purchased at Penlan Perennials nlanperennials.co.uk
Plant of the Month: April 2011: Leucojum vernum - Spring Snowflake
A lovely plant to follow on from the snowdrops, Leucojum vernum, or the spring snowflake, is an altogether larger plant! The white flowers are held on long stems with all six petals of equal length, having conspicuous green markings at their tips. It is an easy-to-grow plant that multiplies freely in most gardens provided the soil is moist enough. Plants have been known to withstand flooding and standing water so it is an ideal choice for bog gardens and pond-side plantings. Tolerant of heavy soils, including clay, the flowering period lasts from February until early April.
Plant of the Month: March 2011: Muscari - Grape Hyacinth
 Muscari armeniacum is the common garden grape hyacinth. The term muscari comes from the latin muscus since the scent is said to resemble musk! It is a small bulb, flowering in very early Spring preferring a well drained light soil which is not too acid, and full sun or partial shade. Muscari is a very flexible plant that can naturalise in woodland and meadow, or be cultivated in the lawn, border, rock garden and container. Varieties include ‘Alba’, 'Cote d'AZur', 'Peppermint', 'Fantasy Creation', and 'Saffier'. Muscari aucheri is a deep blue at the base and bright blue at the tip. Cultivars include ‘Blue Magic, ‘White Wonder’,’ Mount Hood’ and ‘Dark Eyes’. Muscari azureum has beautiful sky blue flowers and grows just 6’’ high. They multiply quickly and are an early source of nectar for the bees!
Gilly Boyd, Aeron Acers
Plant of the Month: February 2011: Helleborus x hybridus
 Formerly known as Helleborus orientalis and recently renamed! These wonderful early flowering harbingers of Spring excel in the February garden. Coming in all shades they hold their heads downwards but flower and survive frost and snow! Several are double flowered, others spotted of dark coloured, some white, pink, red, burgundy and almost black. Seedlings appear around the plant and will flower in a couple of years adding excitment to the spring garden. Easy and pest resistant.
Buy at www.penlanperennials.co.uk
Plant of the Month: January 2011: Narcissus cyclamineus 'Tete-a-Tete'
 Although they do not flower in the garden until the end of February, pot grown Narcissus cyclamineus 'Tete-a-Tete' are at their best throughout the month. These "mini daffs" really are the first wave of spring cheer, a message that there is hope of warmer weather to come. They are remarkably tough and reliable, coping easily with our recent could winters with each bulb producing several neat golden trumpets. They will grow almost anywhere in the garden (except the most boggy areas) and are really petite, only reaching a height of 23cm. They bulk up quite quickly and can be lifted and divided within 3 years. A pot on your windowsill brings spring into the house and can then be planted out into the garden to bring you early season colour for many years to come.
Helen Warrington, Ty Cwm Nursery 01570 480655
Plant of the Month: December 2010: Abies nordmanniana (the Nordmann Fir)
 Christmas is not Christmas without a Nordmann Christmas Tree. This is now the most popular of all trees to have for the festive season. The Nordmann Fir has long, glossy, non-drop needles on tiered branches. It has soft needles making it the ideal tree for families with young children. No sharp needles in the carpet for months after Christmas.
This tree is native to the mountains south and east of the Black Sea where it grows at altitudes of 900-2000m, on mountains with rainfall of over 1000mm.
It is a large evergreen coniferous tree but is very slow growing, only managing to grow about 20cm/8in a year making it an ideal statement plant for a large garden.
Pot grown trees are available from Country Lane Nurseries, Plwmp. We also sell cut trees at the nursery during December, together with handmade Christmas wreaths.
Plant of the Month: November 2010: Welsh Apple Trees.
According to Common Ground, you can bake an apple pie a day for 16 years and not use the same variety twice. Some of these pies could be made using Welsh Apples and an increasing number of new orchards are planted using heritage Welsh Apples – and November is an ideal time to plant them.
 There are three broad types of apples cookers, eaters and cider. Gwynfor Growers stocks Welsh examples of all three types.
Cooking apples are a peculiarly British invention – no other country has really developed apples specifically for cooking. Welsh cooking apples include Pig y Colomen, Jo Jo’s Delite and Trwyn Mochyn. These apples typically keep their shape when cooked or fluff up like a baked-apple rather than go to a puree like a Bramley.
There are some excellent Welsh eating apples notably the world famous Bardsey Island apple, the Cox Cymraeg, Cissy (or Monmouth Beauty) and the Nant Gwrtheyrn golden russet.
Some apples have more than one use and this is the case for the St Dogmaels apple, Pig Aderyn, which besides being an excellent eater also makes a fine cider.
You do not need much space to grow apples. One way is as cordons where you can grow three or four varieties along a fence or wall in as little as 4m of space. If you are thinking of planting an apple tree do consider one of the Welsh varieties and do get expert advice – “I wish we’d come to you first” is quite often heard here at Gwynfor Growers!
For more details see our website, where you can also buy apple trees online: Gwynfor Growers Website
October 2010: Plant of the Month: Geranium 'Rozanne'
 One of the best late flowering Hardy Geraniums, 'Rozanne' will flower until the first frosts. Mounds of marble green foliage emerge in late spring followed by intense blue flowers, which have a clear white eye. The foliage is low growing and makes good ground cover, whilst the large flowers are freely produced. Another cultivar called Geranium 'Jolly Bee' is identical as recently shown by examination of its DNA.
The flowers are produced from late June until November making it a worthwhile plant to extend the season. Excellent for under planting or as part of a mixed border. It can reach 45cm/18" in height and will spread to 90/36".
You can purchase Geranium 'Rozanne' online from Penlan Perennials: Penlan Perennials Website
September 2010: Plant of the Month: Schizostylis (Kaffir Lily)
 Schizostylis coccinea is a bulb with dainty but exotic looking red flowers on slim stems that flower in late summer, some up until December in milder areas! Grow in any mixed herbaceous border or prairie garden to give that lift to the end of summer! They prefer a sheltered, sunny site with plenty of organic matter added to the soil before planting and need a good mulch in winter to protect against deep penetrating frosts. To propagate, lift and divide the bulbs in mid to late spring every 2-3 years or save the seed and sow in April. Growing to around 3ft tall they combine well with grasses such as Carex muskingumensis and Miscanthus as well as perennials such as Crocosmia ‘Honey Angels’, Verbena syphilitica, Helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’ and most Rudbeckias. There are many hybrids worth mentioning :- Schizostylis ‘Major’ (pictured) has large red flowers, ‘Mrs Hegarty’ has light pink flowers, ‘Fenland Daybreak’ is coral pink, ‘Pink Princess’ has white flowers with a pink tint (especially when in bud) and ‘Alba’ is pure white. Thank you to Aeron Acers for selecting this month's plant.
August 2010: Plant of the Month: Inula (Elecampane)
Inula may be annuals, herbaceous perennials or sub-shrubs, mostly with large basal leaves and daisy-like yellow flower-heads, often with narrow ray-florets.
Often known as elecampane, Inula magnifica makes a very large, imposing plant. The lower leaves can be almost 90cm (3ft) long and make a feature on their own before the plant comes into flower. Then, in late summer, the plant is topped with masses of large, bright, golden spidery flowers each 15cm (6in) across. Plant it as a specimen behind a pond where both foliage and flowers can be seen, or grow behind much shorter plants towards the back of a border.
Cae Hir Gardens some fine examples of this plant.
July 2010: Plant of the Month: Stokesia laevis (Stoke’s Aster)
For those people that have come across Stokesia before it soon becomes a must-have plant. The large exquisitely structured cornflower-like blooms appear in late June or early July and continue throughout the summer months.
Although it is drought tolerant, we find that Stokesia prefers slightly acidic, moist soils. For the best flowers, which make long lasting cut flowers in demand by flower arrangers, plant in full sun. Stokesia reaches about 40cm high with a 30cm spread. Propagation is usually by division. This plant is evergreen, fully hardy and easy to grow.
Stokesia is named after Dr Jonathan Stokes (1755-1831), a physician and botanist. The Linnean Society of London elected him as one of the 16 inaugural associates and he was one of the first people to use digitalis to treat heart problems.
The seeds of Stokesia are very high in epoxy oils used to make varnishes and adhesives, including “super glues”.
Gwynfor Growers stocks the deep purple flowered ‘Purple Parasols’ and the unusual creamy yellow ‘Mary Gregory’ forms of this intriguing plant.
June 2010: Plant of the Month: Geranium nodosum
 Geranium nodosum has bright, shiny green, three lobed leaves and pretty purple/blue flowers. This very tolerant plant will grow in dry and moist shade and full sun! Flowers in June and July and sporadically until the autumn. A good ground cover plant which gives autumn leaf colour and seeds readily. There are darker and lighter forms, notably Geranium nodosum 'Svelte Lilac' and Geranium nodosum 'Swish Purple'. Easy to grow and slug and snail resistant Height 30cms x Spread 50cms. Gilly Boyd has this for sale at Aeron Acers and Penlan Perennials sell some of the named hybrids on their website.
May 2010: Plant of the Month: Tiarella 'Pink Brushes'
 Tiarella is an excellent woodland or shade plant, with spikes of white (or in this case) pink flowers held well clear of the foliage, which is mottled with dark brown and usually evergreen except in the harshest winters. The flowers are delicately scented and the plant is tolerant of dry shade once established. Makes good ground cover, seeds freely and is easy to grow.
Cut back the old foliage in spring. deadhead and you can keep flowering going well into midsummer.
You can buy this plant from Penlan Perennials by Mail Order, and a few other Tiarella too.
April 2010: Plant of the Month: Pulmonaria 'Diana Clare'
Pulmonaria (Lungwort), gets its name from a quaint medieval method of allocating medicinal properties to plants based on their appearance. According to the Doctrine of Signatures, the large, spotty leaves were ‘sent’ to tell us to use the plant for curing lung disease. They are especially good as spring flowering ground cover, and their silvery white, spotted foliage sets off the short clusters of pink, white or blue flowers very elegantly. They form clumps 12’’x12’’ which spread to make low undulating carpets that look good under roses or towards the front of mixed or cottage-style borders. They prefer reasonable soil in light shade. There are many cultivars but ‘Diane Clare’ has long silvered sword shaped leaves, neat all year, and large purple blue flowers.
Gwynfor Growers can supply this one for you and a few others too!
March 2010: Plant of the Month: Leucojum vernum
The Spring Snowflake or Loddon Lily is much larger than its relation the snowdrop, the flowers are held on long stems that droop gracefully. Whereas snowdrops have three main petals and three more tiny inner ones, the six petals of this snowflake are all the same length, with conspicuous markings at their tips. It is an easy-to-grow plant that multiplies freely in most gardens provided the soil is moist enough. Plants have been known to withstand flooding and standing water, and it is an ideal choice for bog gardens and pond-side plantings. Native, hardy and now is the time to buy!
You can buy this plant online from Penlan Perennials
February 2010: Plant of the Month: Iris reticulata 'Purple Gem'
What could be more cheerful on a dull cold February day than the sight of this exquisite dwarf iris. An excellent subject for rock gardens and containers. They can also be planted in grass which is short enough at this time of year for them to be seen. As they flower so early in the season they beat the slugs out of bed! And therefore avoid damage. They prefer a well drained sight but will still come up for several years in your average local lawn. Growing to a height of 10cm and spread of 5cm in a deep, velvety purple, they certainly add a little sparkle to February.
You can purchase Iris reticulata 'Purple Gem' fromTy Cwm Nursery. Contact Helen Warrington on
01570 480655.
January 2010: Plant of the Month: Galanthus elwesii
If you are looking for a snowdrop that has that extra impact, then Galanthus elwesii is worth looking out for. It is a giant-flowered snowdrop with honey-scented blooms, which have two delicate green marks on the petals. This Turkish snowdrop, named after the naturalist Henry Elwes, who introduced it into cultivation in 1874, bears slender, honey-scented white flowers and is very early into flower, often before Christmas and into early spring. The glaucous green leaves are quite broad and the bulb is easy and pest resistant. 
You can buy this snowdrop (and several others) from Penlan Perennials. www.penlanperennials.co.uk
Richard Cain, Penlan Perennials, 07857 675312
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