Synopsis
At this time of year, there's a certain satisfaction in the notion of 'less is more': the very act of strolling round the garden, randomly plucking a handful of blooms, becomes a joy heightened by the promise of what is to follow. And, curiously, the flowers almost seem to arrange themselves in the hand, requiring little more than a passing tweak once in a little vase or jug.
Foliage is an essential foil to flower colour, and evergreens such as pittosporum, heavenly bamboo and choisya ensure a year-round supply. The colder months bring many fragrant flowers such as crocuses, violas and jasmine, their strong scent being nature's ploy to attract the few available pollinating insects. Scented clematis make lovely cut flowers — for early spring, try cirrhosas and C. armandii — but they must go into water immediately after cutting. Teaming up beautifully honey-scented snowdrops, clematis fade quickly, but they are so prolific that it takes but a couple of moments to replace dying stems with fresh ones.
For February, the garden yields gold and white flowers such as miniature daffodils - Narcissus 'Tete-a-Tete' and Narcissus 'Jack Snipe'; winter flowering violas (Viola x wittrockiana), white crocuses (Crocus x chrysantha 'Aubade'), variegated pittosporum foliage (Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Variegata'), Clematis armandii, winter-flowering jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum).
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