December 2020 Welcome to the December 2020 edition of Shade Monthly. Special Issue – Woodland Bulbs I am delighted to share this special issue of Shade Monthly with you. All the articles here were contributed by members of your S&W committee – Diana Garner, secretary; Wilma Keighley, treasurer and membership secretary; and Nigel Parkes-Rolfe, chair. We hope you enjoy this edition, and that it brings you some spring cheer in the middle of winter. May we wish you all a merry and peaceful festive season. As ever, please send any articles, comments or images to [email protected]. Thank you. 1 Daffodils in the wood - ‘Marjorie’s Mile’ Text and images by Diana Garner Our daffodil planting project started in 2003 when we wanted to develop a small area of our wood in memory of John’s mother, Marjorie, and decided on a 100 m avenue of daffodils which we could call “Marjorie’s Mile”. We were fortunate enough to buy the 3 acre mixed woodland at the end of our garden in 2000, and it had been used as a hand-made brickyard in the 1960s, and just left since then to grow scrub trees, brambles and holly. Having never tackled a project on this scale before, we consulted Avon Bulbs. We wanted the bulbs to start flowering near Marjorie’s anniversary in December and to carry on through the Spring. We had about two metres one side and one metre the other side of the path for planting. They recommended planting in about five metre blocks of any one variety before there was a break to another type, such as bluebells or just grass. These blocks should be in amoeboid shapes so they are not too regular, and they suggested taking a handful of bulbs that represents a couple of metres, throwing them on the ground and planting them where they fell. The varieties recommended giving a variety in flowering time from December through to April, height, colour and scentedness were: N. ‘February Gold’ N. ‘Jack Snipe’ N. poeticus var. recurvus N. ‘Cheerfulness’ N. ‘Topolino’ N. ‘Rijinveldt’s Early Sensation’ N. obvallaris N. lobularis N. ‘Sweetness’ As we were going to be planting over 4,000 bulbs we decided to split the order and planting over three Autumns, and in fact, have continued to add a few more bulbs each Autumn since. 2 We purchased a petrol auger which was really great for making the holes for the initial planting, as the area was full of tree roots and brick rubble. It was also useful to making holes in our ground for other shrubs and trees once the main bulb planting was done. We also used an upright planter, and a small hand bulb planter. There are now four areas planted in the same sequence along the 100 m stretch, and we added an extension in 2016 when we lost a large tree which enabled us to link the walk to our Fernery which is planted in an old clay pit. There have been varying degrees of success with different varieties. Some are well suited to the conditions (‘February Gold’ and ‘Rijnveldt’s Early Sensation’) whereas others (‘Cheerfulness’ and ‘Sweetness’) have been disappointing and have vanished. Avon Bulbs believe this has much to do with the level of light in the area, so we have introduced more of the earlier flowering varieties which can enjoy the light before the leaf canopy closes in. To date we have planted nearly 6000 narcissus bulbs, in addition to the 3000 snowdrops which were eaten by mice. As winter draws to a close, the early daffodils brighten up the day and make us all look forward to the Spring. 3 In January N. ‘Rijnveldt’s Early Sensation’ and ‘February Gold’ are just starting to push above ground and throw out the occasional flower. N. ‘February Gold’ with the outer petals slightly swept back and dark yellow trumpets flowering in early March. 4 The varieties with the lighter petals such as ‘Topolino’, ‘Jack Snipe’ and N. lobularis really light up the wood, and N. poeticus var. recurvus is the last to flower and waits for the few bluebells. 5 Bottom end – on right N. ‘Jack Snipe’, ‘Rijnveldt’s Early Sensation’, and N. lobularis at the bottom. On the left N. ‘February Gold’, N. poeticus var. recuvus and N. ‘Topolino’ still growing and N. obvallaris at the end. Acers and Rhododendrons have also been planted in the wood and some of the ones the muntjac and roe deer have left alone have grown into fine specimens. Annual maintenance: anyone is allowed to deadhead! I scatter blood, fish and bone along the whole length when they have nearly finished flowering, and the whole grassy area is strimmed once all the wild flowers have finished about July time, to let light and rainwater (hopefully) into the area for the rest of the year. I also try and make a note of any gaps, and each Autumn top up with another couple of hundred bulbs. You know as gardeners how much your garden changes each season without you doing anything particular – in March 2017 the daffodils all decided to flower at the same time – it was stunning! Montana, Shire Lane, Cholesbury, Herts HP23 6NA is open for the National Garden Scheme (NGS) by arrangement from March until the end of July. 6 Martagon Lilies Text and images by Wilma Keighley Let me admit, straight away, that I am not an expert on Martagon Lilies. I volunteered to write this section simply because I love these lilies and thought it would be useful to do a bit of reading around the topic to pass on to others who may know as little as me, while in the process, hopefully, I’d become a bit more knowledgeable. Basics first: Lilium martagon is hardy throughout UK and most of Europe tolerating at least down to - 20C (classified as H6, zones 3-7 or 3-9 USA) and will grow from full sun to partial shade though it will need a more moist spot if in full sun. Ideally they will have a half a day of morning sun since, although they will survive, they won’t flower well in deep shade. Not too fussy about soil pH with a slight preference for alkaline, and of course as much humus as they can get. Like all lilies, they need good drainage in winter, so an edge of woodland spot often suits as the tree roots help to keep things drier in winter (and they also look really good in that setting). Not really recommended for heavy clay that waterlogs, in which case some experts suggest adding grit to the planting hole. At the same time, most sources advise against soil that is too dry! I garden on heavy clay and all I’ve done is to add as much compost as I can at planting time to try to improve the soil. That seems to have worked OK. My plants are flowering well and seem to be increasing in size. Since martagons flower in June, they should be planted in autumn/winter and, being from mountainous regions, will not mind some frost although better not to plant when its freezing. Planting depth should be 2 to 3 times the height of the bulb, so about 4 to 6 inches with spacing of about 4 to 6 inches, and in small groups. One suggestion is to space the plants farther apart as the amount of shade increases. This is to allow for increased circulation and faster drying of wet plants, thus reducing the risk of botrytis. Hostas planted between martagons make nice “spacers” and provide a good structural contrast in a woodland garden. My lily groups are only of 3, because larger groups were too costly, but I have some grandiose plans for huge drifts from seed - more later. Martagons are easy going with no major disease worries currently and no particular pruning regime requirement, just cut the flowering stalks down when the leaves have yellowed. Diseases such as Xylella fastidiosa and Plantago asiatica mosaic virus may come to be a problem for martagons as our climate warms. DEFRA classifies Xylella as medium likelihood to affect martagons and high seriousness, with Plantago mosaic as very high likelihood to appear and medium seriousness. Although said to be prone to slugs and aphids, the only pest I have encountered is that pesky lily beetle. Despite my best efforts (I go on lily beetle patrol every day in spring/summer) many of the plants have lacework leaves, but although this is unsightly the flowering doesn’t seem to be affected. I have not had to stake any of my hybrids but note that some people recommend growing through shrubs to support the stems. Possibly this is necessary with some of the really tall cultivars? The species Lilium martagon and Lilium martagon var. album, both of which have the RHS award of garden merit, often take a couple of years to get into their stride after planting although martagon hybrids seem to be more accommodating. Botanically, martagons are “true” lilies, placed in Division II of the genus Lilium. Five different species make up the Martagon Group of lilies which share the features of whorled leaves, small down-facing flowers and smooth re-curved petals (except L. tsingtauense), good-sized seedpods and delayed hypogeal seed germination. Martagon hybrids are the result of crossing non identical lilies from the martagon group: Lilium hansonii, Lilium martagon, Lilium tsingtauense, Lilium distichum and Lilium medeoloides. The first three of these are reasonably well available commercially if you feel like trying some hybridization, the latter two less so.