Cottage Gardening – Evergreens

Many gardeners consider broad leaved evergreens to be rather dull. While this might be said about dusty laurels and aucubas in shady town gardens, it is not a very fair assessment of the myriad other species that are available. It is not fair to attribute this unfortunate reputation to laurels or aucubas either, for their dull and dusty image has been created by the generally inhospitable conditions under which they are usually forced to live.

Move them to the cottage garden and they are completely different characters. The common aucuba, Aucuba japonica ‘Varie-gata’ presents attractive glossy foliage on a neatly round shrub, while the cherry laurel, Prunus laurocerasus, is rather more vigorous unless clipped. Both are frequently encoun­tered in old country gardens and are clearly in keeping, but I find that they are rather bold and dominating and prefer them in a corner rather than a focal point in the gar­den. Reliably evergreen and tolerant of almost all soil conditions they are often at their most useful when forming a back­ground to the garden, especially where one side is bounded by trees, for they are the best of the few broadleaved evergreens which are tolerant of shade.

The common holly, Ilex aquifolium, has a similar image and is only regarded highly during the Christmas period. Like aucuba and laurel the holly is tolerant of most situations, although it will not prosper on a severely alkaline soil. There are very many cultivars of the common holly, some of which have strong ties with cottage gardens, others that are rather bizarre and scarcely recognizable as holly.

There is that extraordinary cultivar ‘J.C. Van Tol’ for example with leaves that are a dark glossy green and almost spineless, its regular crops of red fruits being the only clue that it is a true holly. Or we can go to the other extreme and find ‘Ferox’ with its viciously spined leaves, an old-fashioned robust sort that I have already recom­mended for hedging. Its cream and gold blotched forms known as ‘Ferox Argentea’ and ‘Ferox Aurea’ look even more fierce. All are male trees and obviously produce no berries. When this is the case I feel that it is always profitable to go for a variegated culti­var. These are able to pollinate the female cultivars in the I. aquifolium group and so ensure berries. I see no reason to persist with a dull green male when a variegated holly can be grown.

Try the I. altaclarensis cultivar known as ‘Golden Queen’, despite a name which sug­gests otherwise, this is a male. Conversely the variety called ‘Golden King’ is a female. This fruits profusely with bunches of orange-red berries. Another reliable fruit­ing variegated holly is ‘Argentea Pendula’. Not a particularly common kind now, it is worth seeking out for it is the lovely old variety formerly known as ‘Perry’s Silver Weeping’, a popular name which fittingly describes this elegant beauty. Ilex altaclar­ensis is a hybrid in which it is thought our common holly I. aquifolium forms a part, an invaluable plant which has yielded two of the best variegated hollies. Both are female, the ‘Golden King’ to which I have just referred, and ‘Silver Sentinel’, a neat upright character with green leaves con­spicuously edged with cream.

The hollies provide colour and backbone to the garden during the dull and dreary days of winter and I feel that no sizeable cottage garden can afford to be without at least one. Not so the next evergreen, for I suppose that strictly speaking it is not a cottage-garden plant, although its habit lends itself readily to this art. I am referring to Garrya elliptica, that amiable Californian native which displays long grey-green cat­kins during the depths of winter giving us hope that spring is really only just around the corner. With its dark evergreen foliage and free and easy disposition it should find its way into every garden. Not only does it produce its catkins at an opportune season of the year, but actually enjoys growing in those awkward north-facing situations.

The various elaeagnus species are also known for their lusty growth and handsome foliage, often produced in the face of ad­versity. Again not widely associated with cottage gardens of the traditional kind, they do fit in well and should be a part of the modern scene. Particularly Elaeagnus ebb-ingei, a substantial, quick growing shrub with large silvery grey leaves that provide a superb foil for the soft blue and pink pastel shades of many of our old fashioned herba­ceous perennials. Elaeagnus oleaster, the common oleaster, is not as frequently encountered as hitherto. Although with a true claim to cottage garden fame, this large spiny shrub with long and rather narrow silvery-grey foliage has largely been ousted by the Japanese E. pungens and its hideous green and gold cultivar ‘Maculata’. The last is very brash and vulgar and totally unsuited to the concept that we have in mind.