I hope you had a lovely and happy Christmas.
As the year comes to an end, it is time to think about how your garden fared over the past 12 months and to make plans for next year. What did well and what would you change? If plants are in the wrong place we have a few months, while plants are dormant, to move them. If some plants did really well then we can plan to plant more.
I struggled with onions this year but carrots did well. I have no real answer as to why but I will sow onions earlier and sow more next year. But slugs and snails were not quite as bad this year as they were in 2024 and so courgettes and dahlias did really well. Hostas were nibbled, of course, but not ruined as they were the previous year.
The big disaster were the cosmos which succumbed to cosmos smut, a new one on me, so I will not grow any next year. I will grow dahlias from seed instead – they are quick and easy. No two years are the same.
So what were the highlights of the year in your garden? Here are some of mine.
At the start of the year, when there is a mere hint of spring in the air, Salix ‘Mount Aso’ is the best thing in the garden. It is a small willow, at most 2m high, that was bred for cut flower production. It has very attractive, silky grey leaves but it is the soft pink, fluffy catkins that will steal your heart. If you need to prune it, do so in spring, after flowering, or just cut some branches to bring into the house. It tolerates heavy and slightly soggy soil (mine is growing in awful, wet soil) and when sunlight illuminates it, nothing in the garden is as lovely. Bear in mind that the catkins are pink for two or three weeks only, but even so, I would not be without this gorgeous, easy-to-please, hardy shrub. Buy it now.
It is too late to plant tulips – though if you have some, get them in the ground because they will still flower – but they are a luxury I always indulge in. In 2024 we had constant rain that really upset the tulips and caused flowers to rot but 2025 was sunny and quite dry and the tulips loved it. My best bulbs are planted in pots around the house or in my formal raised bed by the pond. I planted deep pink and orange for this spring. This autumn I planted orange tulips. All tulips are beautiful.
For many years I was scared to plant rhodohypoxis. These tiny ‘bulbs’, native to mountain tops in South Africa, are not reliably hardy but otherwise easy to grow. I have four varieties and originally bought a small pot of each three years ago. I divide them every spring and now have large ‘pans’ of each. Rhodohypoxis have narrow, grass-like leaves and produce masses of blooms, just 8cm high, for many months. They then become dormant in autumn. The plants should then be kept cold, but out of severe frost, and barely moist. I put the pans in the cold greenhouse under the shelves. Then, in spring, I divide the clumps and replant in multipurpose compost (ericaceous is best, in theory) and start them into growth again. In a mild garden you could try them outside and now I have so many I will try myself. These are sweet little plants for the patio so look for them in spring, just coming into growth and bloom.
Everyone loves big, purple alliums. Far less popular is an easy, herbaceous plant called Phuopsis stylosa. I grew it from seed but you can buy plants and they run slowly to form large, weed-smothering drifts of delicate foliage. Then, for many months, it produces round heads of tiny flowers that attract bees. I planted some under a clump of alliums and the similar colour and form but difference in size worked well, in my opinion. Phuopsis is easy and tough, and fun to say! If there is a drawback, it is that the foliage smells a bit ‘foxy’. It is not overpowering and I don’t mind it at all.
Helianthemums (rock roses) are often overlooked these days, though they were very popular a few decades ago. They are small, evergreen shrubs with dark green or grey foliage and they produce flowers, in yellow, orange, pink or red over many months in summer. In fact, mine bloom for at least six months, making them among the best dwarf shrubs in the garden. Most grow to about 25cm high and up to 60cm wide. They benefit from a light trim in spring. Their delicate flowers are loved by bees and although each lasts a day, masses are produced from the tips of the new stems. They are like miniature, Mediterranean sun roses (cistus) but completely hardy – in fact one species is native and grows on the North Downs. They thrive in a sunny spot and are drought tolerant once established. They are wonderful for edging sunny borders, rock gardens and raised beds. You will find them among the alpines at Nags Hall, especially in spring.
Because I grow cut flowers for sale for charity at the gate I plant a lot of flowers for bunching. This year I grew annual carnations for their colour and fragrance. I already grow lots of pinks for the purpose but I need more. Annual carnations are not as large or ‘perfect’ as the tender, ‘florist’ kind but they are easy to grow. The ‘Chabaud’ kind are usually available as a mix of colours, are easy to grow from seed and, sown in March, will bloom from July to September. They grow about 40cm high so are tall enough for cutting. I managed to get seed of the pale pink ‘La France’ and it did not disappoint, providing lots of bunches and I put some in a patio pot where they looked, and smelt, lovely, for many months. You can buy seeds soon.
Diascias are usually considered temporary plants for patio pots and there are now many colours available. In fact, if planted in well-drained soil, in a sunny spot, they are often perennial. They really deserve much wider planting. But the best surprise in recent years has been Diascia personata, a much taller, wild species. It is reliably hardy and grows to about 75cm high. Unless staked it tends to sprawl but I let it collapse as it likes among smaller shrubs and, for almost six months, it is a haze of pink. Oddly, it seems to hold no attraction for bees but it is so simple to please I allow myself something planted just for me. Add some diascias to your shopping list next year.
Escallonias have fallen from favour in recent years. They have a lot of good features but they can be damaged in severe cold. Otherwise they are easy to grow, easy enough for hedges, and they have flowers, usually in pink, red or white, over a long season. The shiny, small foliage is pleasant and the small flowers are loved by bees. ‘Pink Elle’ is a new kind, with a very compact habit, that I added to the garden and, if you want something neat and pink, it is a winner. It is suitable for the smallest garden and for patio pots, planted in John Innes No 3 compost.
My next selection is hardly a surprise and I am sure many of you grow this every year. Verbena bonariense is a butterfly magnet. It is tall, yet always upright, has little foliage and the dense heads of tiny flowers keep on blooming for months. It is easy to grow from seed or buy some young plants in spring. It is best in full sun and rather dry soil and, if happy, might self-seed. It is perennial in theory but plants are killed by damp, cold winters so be prepared to replace it and look out for seedlings in April.
Like the rest of you, I had hits and misses in the veg garden. I always grow a few potatoes in bags but not always many in the beds but this year I grew more early potatoes and, thanks to the dry summer, blight was not an issue this year. I did have to water more than I would have liked so ensure a good crop but it will prompt me to get some seed potatoes next month and grow more next year.
And lastly, my ‘bee beds’, sown with hardy annuals. Hardy annuals, sown in March and April, where they are to bloom, are great value and include some of our most cherished garden flowers. Five packets of different kinds, each costing just a few pounds, will transform a large area of a sunny garden into a mass of colour, providing nectar and pollen for pollinators.