13-Jan Discover January's Blooms!

Tough, double multi-coloured daisies with their quilled petals are sporadically planted in pubic places, but never look too happy. Beds of winter-flowering heathers fare a little better. Good collections of these can be seen at the Savill Gardens near Windsor and the Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park.

Other plants, such as early dwarf iris Iris reticulata and cyclamen Cyclamen coum are occasionally encountered in parks and gardens. Banks of labour-saving perennials such as the Elephant leaved saxifrage Bergenia and various spurges Euphorbia are seen more often.

Other plants which hang on from December include Lilyturf Liriope, Red hot poker Kniphofia, SpeedwellsVeronica spp., and perhaps Kaffir Lily Schizostylis coccinea. Plants such as periwinkle Vinca spp and wallflowers Cheiranthus may produce early single flowers towards the end of the month.

Other plants which hang on from December include Lilyturf Liriope, Red hot poker Kniphofia, SpeedwellsVeronica spp., and perhaps Kaffir Lily Schizostylis coccinea. Plants such as periwinkle Vinca spp and wallflowers Cheiranthus may produce early single flowers towards the end of the month.

More striking flowers to be seen this month are the Algerian iris Iris unguicularis, stinking hellebore Helleborus foetidus and the spring snowflake Leucojum vernum var. carpathicum.

Herb gardens such as the one at Fulham Palace generally now look rather dismal, although it is still possible to pick parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, with some of the many forms of rosemary even bearing flowers.

The strangest garden flower likely to be encountered this month is the rare Mandrake (Atropa mandragora). In among a dense rosette of crinkled leaves a cluster of sinister pale purple, papery, scentless flowers are now starting to appear at ground level. The natural history of this plant is much more flamboyant than its appearance. In Ancient Rome it was regarded as mystical and people chewed a piece of the root prior to an operation to lessen any pain. If taken in excess the patient could become delirious and then go mad.

The root was thought to be the shape of a human, although it is actually more like a carrot. If dug up, the roots were also believed to scream and the person digging them up would die upon hearing them cry. It was also believed the plants drove off demons which apparently couldn’t stand their smell. For this reason, pieces of the root were placed on mantlepieces to protect houses from any malign influences.

There was such a demand for it that false roots were sold when mandrake was in short supply. These false mandrakes were actually the roots of our native white bryony Bryonia dioica. Mandrake has been grown in London since the sixteenth century, although it is rarely seen now. Fortunately it can still be found in a corner of the South London Botanical Institute’s garden at Tulse Hill, where it has happily existed for many years.

Hellebores

The next hellebores to be seen are often the Stinking hellebore Helleborus foetidus and the Corsican hellebore H. corsicus. The Stinking hellebore and the Green hellebore H. viridis are both rare in the wild but can still both be found in one or two places on the North Downs. In the past, the latter was used to kill worms in children, an excessive dose often killing the child. It was also regarded as a reliable cure for ‘furious men’. The flower stems have been likened to mermaid’s fins and the seeds are believed to be dispersed by snails. A fine show of garden hellebores can be seen in the Elaine Hodges memorial winter garden in Battersea park.

Luckily, once established, many flowers are produced, some of which can be taken as tubular buds indoors, where they quickly open, releasing a scent reminiscent of violets. Once inside, they will remain in good condition for three or four days. The deep purple and white forms are more rarely encountered.