New Year Flower Count 2025 at Charlton House

Another cold start to a new year allowed the volunteers to take a step back from gardening and undertake a second survey of plants in flower at Charlton House. This had been done at the beginning of January 2024 and it was interesting to compare during a gentle walk round on 9th January 2025. At first glance there seemed to be little flowering. Making a thorough search with fifteen of us, along with Jason, we found many that were on last year’s list as well as some unexpected interlopers.

Garrya elliptica ‘Silk Tassel Bush’ is coming into its own as a stand out plant at this time of year. There are now three of these which have enjoyed a hard prune (to a stump in one instance) which has encouraged them to spread, grow tall and lustrous. It is almost impossible to pass these by without touching the long pendant catkin-like racemes.

There were other expected plants in flower such as Mahonia japonica, Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’ and Hellebore orientalis similar to last year.

Surprisingly five plants were found that had not been in evidence last year and would generally not be in flower in midwinter. Jason was particularly excited by a Betonica officinalis ‘Hummelo’ which usually flowers between June and September. I realised afterwards that this is named after the village in the Netherlands where Piet Oudolf’s private garden was located, sadly now permanently closed. Another brave little plant Tiarella ‘Spring Symphony’, as its name implies, was peeking out very early. A sprig of Calamintha nepeta was spotted and again should be flowering in summer.

Against the south facing wall in a sheltered spot of the Old Pond Garden is a Salvia guarantica ‘Black and Blue.’ It is clearly loving its position here. In the glade is a Hypericum ‘Hidcote’ with many buds and flowers opening. This shrub has also benefitted from the hard cutting back and pruning of nearby shrubs and trees in what was a dark overgrown part of the gardens.

The conundrum is – are they flowering early or are they flowering late?

Thanks to Jane, in collaboration with others, the full list of plants in flower is available here.

Sharon C