Meet Wanda

There is a chill in the air - it is, after all, January, and the view from the window can be less than enticing.

However, coated against the cold, an examination of favourite plants will soon dispel any gloom as it can soon be seen that something is happening.

In fact, despite its reputation as a bleak month, January is the start of good things in the garden. Days are, however imperceptibly, becoming longer. Three weeks have passed since the shortest day, and things are starting to respond and grow.

In a sheltered spot, one of the first bright flowers to come out at this time of year is the early Primula Wanda. These lovely little plants have dark purplish green foliage and bright flowers that nestle among the leaves.

Colours range from white through pale pink and cream to rich yellow, purple and magenta and will pop up in most positions, although they do best in soil that doesn't become too dry in summer.

They are easy to grow and readily available in late winter and early spring for spring bedding in the garden and in containers.

While primula flowers draw the eye instantly, other new growth in the garden is more subtle and needs seeking out. The dark branches of the shrub Amelanchier are covered in small pointed buds, shiny coats protecting embryonic sprays of delicate blooms that will open in spring.

This anticipation of flowers will last for months as the buds fatten and finally open. As the shrub is planted by the front gate, we see it every time we leave the house.

Coloured-stemmed Cornus is another shrub that successfully extends its interest into January.

The one I grow, Cornus alba Elegantissima', has dark red stems and variegated deciduous foliage and, although the stem colour isn't as eye catching as some species, the pale cream and green deciduous foliage makes it a worthy compromise.

For especially good winter colour, Cornus alba Sibirica' has bright red stems and will contrast well with yellow-stemmed Cornus sericea Flaviramea'.

These dogwoods will grow in most soils and in sun or partial shade. To keep them in good shape and to encourage the growth of new stems which have the best colour, they need to be pruned hard back in March.

Daffodils planted in the area will fill the bare patch for a while. By the time they have finished flowering, new growth on the shrubs will have appeared just in time to hide the dying daffodil foliage.

Sweet peas

REGULAR readers may remember that I left a stem of sweet peas in the sunniest, most sheltered part of the garden when the others were removed in autumn.

The idea was to see if the weather would stay mild enough to allow the plant to survive and produce enough flowers for a bunch to be cut on Christmas day.

All was looking well with several small posies gathered through November and into the first days of December. Unfortunately, the frosts then arrived to kill off the plant.

Weekend catch-up

CONTAINERS planted with winter and spring bedding may need attention if they have been ignored over the Christmas period. Violas for example will have started to produce lots of new growth, rosettes of leaves massing up to fill the pots.

To encourage the best flowering, cut back any spent blooms and those that have gone to seed. To distinguish the old from the new look for firm, rounded seed pods held above the leaves. These are the ones to remove. Leave any stems carrying soft, pointed buds and a tiny curl of petal.

Gardening talk

FLOWER arranger George Smith, of the Manor House, Heslington, York, will give an illustrated talk on Tuesday at Askham Bryan College. Organised by Askham Bryan College (ABC) Gardening Club, of which Mr Smith is a member, the talk will be held in the Conference Hall and will begin at 7.30pm. Tickets at the door are free to ABC Gardening Club members and £5 to non-members. There is plenty of free parking nearby. All welcome.

Gardening TV and radio

Tomorrow

8am, Radio Humberside, Gardening Phone-in. Telephone number 01482 225 959.

9am, Radio Leeds, Gardening.

2pm, R4, Gardeners' Question Time. Chairman Peter Gibbs and his team are in Sussex where they help members of Wadhurst Gardening Association with their horticultural problems. Meanwhile, the gardening fundamentals series continues with Pippa Greenwood and Bob Flowerdew explaining how to deal with common pests and diseases.

Monday

R4, 1.30pm, The Garden Quiz. Anna Ford is in the chair as more contestants take part in the competition to find Britain's best amateur garden expert.

R4, 3.45pm, Fungi. Mycologists at Kew Gardens reveal the complexity of this group of organisms, which are neither plant nor animal, in a new five part series.