Gina Parkinson sings the praises of a small plant that offers big value while other plants are getting ready.

THE foxglove seedlings I planted last summer have grown well and are filling an area of semi-shaded soil with their large soft leaves.

The tall flower spikes should make a dramatic show in spring and early summer, but until then another plant is pushing through their foliage and looking more interesting.

Arum italicum subsp. italicum 'Marmoratum', a very long name for a smallish plant, is an excellent specimen to grow for winter and early spring foliage for gardeners and flower arrangers.

The glossy, semi erect, arrow-shaped leaves are dark green with white marbling that seems to follow the veins of the leaves. This marbling stops short of the leaf edge, leaving a neat margin of plain green, sometimes edged very finely with the lighter colour.

The leaves emerge from the soil in mid to late autumn and by Christmas several small leaves will be evident - these will increase in size until spring.

The pale green or creamy white flower spathes then start to grow, during which time the leaves die back.

Bright orange-red berries follow the flowers just before the leaves appear once again in autumn.

'Marmoratum' is a quiet, unassuming plant that is hardly noticed over the summer when its leaves have disappeared and the flowers are hidden by the more flamboyant plants in the garden at this time, but it comes into its own once these specimens have died back.

It likes sun or light shade and humus-rich soil that retains moisture but which doesn't become boggy.

It is best left undisturbed where it can form a clump of foliage and gradually colonise the surrounding area with seedlings, some of which will pop up some distance from the mother plant.

The seedlings tend to be plain green in their first year and show the marbling in subsequent seasons but can be recognised by the shape of the leaves.

SAFETY FIRST: Arum berries are poisonous.

Weekend catch-up

OUTDOORS. Climbers such as Virginia creeper, Boston ivy and climbing hydrangea can be cut back this month.

Their leaves have fallen and it is easy to see the wayward stems and to get to them with secateurs or a small saw.

The hydrangea in particular can develop thick woody stems, especially if it has been left unpruned for a few years, which can be difficult to cut through.

However, with the right tools the job isn't too difficult - simply cut back to just in front of a bud. These will already be evident on small shoots growing along the length of the stems. The old flower heads can be removed at the same time.

Wisterias can also be pruned this month by cutting all the new shoots back to two or three buds from the main stem. This winter pruning follows the one done in July when the long whippy side shoots where cut back to within six buds or so from the main stem. The double pruning should encourage plenty of flowering in May and June.

INDOORS. Some of the slower-growing summer bedding can be sown this month. Lobelia, pelargonium, snapdragon and gazania should all be sown now; follow the instructions on the seed packets for heat and light.

SAFETY FIRST: When pruning tall-growing plants such as climbers, make sure ladders are on level ground and safely secured. Sawing through thick stems can cause quite a lot of movement and wobbly ladders could easily overturn.

NEXT WEEK: A new monthly feature will start as part of the In The Garden page. Talking Rot will look at the different problems that arise with compost heaps and how to deal with them. It will be written with Keely Mellor from York Rotters.

Garden news

CROCOSMIA or Montbretia is an old favourite in the garden with arching stems of orange flowers that open in late summer when many other plants are coming to an end.

One of the most popular varieties recently has been 'Lucifer', a tall-growing variety with lovely rich, bright red flowers that bloom earlier than usual, but it is another variety that has been voted Summer Bulb of the Year 2006.

Crocosmia 'Emily McKenzie' came top in a contest hosted by the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Centre with a judging panel that included leading gardeners and gardening writers.

'Emily McKenzie' has rich green lance-shaped foliage and long-lasting, red-centred orange flowers, and once established it will grow with little or no maintenance. In common with all crocosmia, it does need a well-drained, humus-rich soil in a sunny, sheltered site to grow at its best.

Bulbs should be planted between March and April about 3ins/7.2cm deep and around 6ins/15cm apart. Clumps can be divided after flowering every three or so years if they are becoming congested.

Gardening TV and radio

Sunday, January 22

9am, Radio Leeds, Tim Crowther, Joe Maiden.

Noon, Radio York, William Jenkyns. (Repeated on Wednesday at 8pm).

2pm, R4, Gardeners Question Time. Chris Beardshaw, Bob Flowerdew, Anne Swithinbank and chairman Eric Robson help gardeners in Wiltshire. Anne Swithinbank also looks at plants that thrive in boggy conditions. The gardening weather forecast is at 2.25pm.

Friday

8pm, BBC2, Christine's Garden. The care of Christine's garden is left to the neighbours as she leaves for China to lead a horticultural tour.

8.30pm, BBC2, The Gardeners' Year. Alan Titchmarsh shows how to prolong the display of the late summer flowers that add such rich colours to the garden.

Updated: 10:21 Saturday, January 21, 2006