Be aware of wild garlic during the season as they can be toxic if mishandled, yet they can add an appealing touch to your garden.
Bold and Beautiful Arum Plants
Sharing spaces with the fern-friends and hellebores, evergreen grasses, and snowdrops, these striking perennials could be your garden's secret weapon! Arums, also known as lords-and-ladies, friar's cowl, or cuckoo-pint, are herbaceous beauties that thrive under the shade of deciduous trees or nestled next to a hedge.
Their foliage is the star of the show, making a strong statement with its bold, spear-shaped structure and strikingly marked patterns that may be marbled, splashed with white, yellow, or silver, featuring striking purple spots. This eye-catching display usually peaks in March and lasts until May.
Arums are hardy plants that are adaptable to a wide range of situations. Once established, they can tolerate considerable summer drought and make great additions to inhospitable spots, such as against walls or under large trees. A cool, shady position is ideal for arums, allowing them to take advantage of good light during their growth period while being protected from the summer heat once the canopy closes.
Enriched soil with humus and compost, or leaf mould, and regular mulching are essential for healthy arum growth. The spike of berries looks beautiful in late summer, but deadheading is recommended to discourage self-seeding. While these plants require minimal feeding, dividing and propagating them in autumn or spring will allow you to spread named cultivars around your garden.
Although a few pests and diseases may attack arums, they are generally trouble-free. Avoid wet years, as leaves can develop black spots due to the bacterial infection Pectobacterium carotovorum. However, the damage is usually minimal, although worse in pots. If you're keen to keep arums under control, deadheading, early removal of seedlings, and the strategic removal of some plants can help manage them.
robust Arum italicum can be large and may spread, but its cultivars are worth considering for the back of a woodland border or very dry shade. cultivars of Arum maculatum, such as 'Lady of Devon' and 'Fletcher,' are well-behaved, forming neat clumps of fresh foliage.
Add some Arum plants to your garden, and let them brighten up shady spots while increasing biodiversity with their attractive berries. For an appointment to admire a National Plant Collection or to purchase Arum cultivars, consider visiting Chris Cotterell or Edulis Nursery, among others.
- Transform your home-and-garden lifestyle by introducing Arum plants, which can thrive in gardens, nested next to hedges or under deciduous trees.
- Elevate your flower garden with Arums, such as the robust Arum italicum or the well-behaved Arum maculatum cultivars, known for their striking foliage and attractive berries.
- To enrich your garden with Arum plants, visit home-and-garden specialists like Chris Cotterell or Edulis Nursery, where you can admire National Plant Collections and purchase cultivars for your own shady spots.
