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Entering the Garden..... look down on to the main east lawn (opposite the dome of the glasshouse range nearest to the entrance), and you will see a dainty little tree called Prunus subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’ - the‘Autumn Cherry’. The flowers may be found on this tree on almost any winter’s day, although they may be damaged by frost. On a warm sunny winter’s day the blossoms are delightful.

At this time of the year as mid-winter approaches, blossoms and flowers are infrequent, but there are always other features to look out for. This year the berries on the hollies and cotoneasters have been in abundance. The barks on some of the trees are worth looking for, especially the paper-bark maple (Acer griseum), and the snake-bark maples.

Acer griseum -‘Paperbark maple’ is one of the most beautiful small trees. It was introduced by Ernest Wilson in 1901. The leaves are gorgeously coloured red and scarlet in the autumn, but at this time of year it is the bark that is so interesting. Acer rufinerve ‘Snake-bark maple’ This new planting can be found outside the Garden in the planting on Clarkehouse road. You may have to look hard for it because it is hidden behind the Information Board at the entrance.

Around the Garden...there are many mahonias and they are some of the most valuable hardy evergreens, in spite of their spiny foliage. Mahonia x media ‘Lionel Fortescue’ is a hybrid between Mahonia japonica and M. lomariifolia. It is usually the first to open in the early winter. The soft primrose-yellow flowers appear at the time when others from the outdoor garden are scarce, and the perfume is an added bonus. The plant can be found at the bottom of the Asian Garden, near the pathway so it can be easily found if you are walking down towards the Evolutionary garden, where the fossil tree is. Sometimes severe frost and snow can cause damage to the beautiful blooms, but when planted in a sheltered spot as is ‘Lionel Fortescue’, this is less likely to occur.