Going to the dogs

My front garden

Hacquetia epipactis with Milium 'Aureum'

Unfurling of Polystichum setiferum

Arisarum proboscideum

Erythronium 'White Beauty'

Dicentra 'Alba'

Brunnera 'Betty Bowring'

I had a timely reminder to titivate the front garden this morning, when the lady who runs the local gardening group emailed me to say that she would soon be delivering flyers to rally the neighbourhood into entering the Urban Communities Award in the London in Bloom competition.

Her words resulted in a ten minute burst of front garden activity as I dead headed the ‘February Gold’ daffs, pulled out some weeds, scrubbed the path and potted up some mind-your-own business into the ‘faux’ terrazzo pots that sit on my window ledges.

My front garden, which measures 6ft (1.8m) by 7ft (2.1m), is dominated by spring bulbs. This is for one main reason. As we spend quite a lot of time in our snug lounge our winter and early spring, I felt it was important that we had plenty of interesting treasures in it for us all to admire from the windows.

I have gone for white and yellow bulbs, which help to illuminate this gloomy patch like an outdoor light bulb and work well with the permanent plants. Most of these are green, but there’s also a large stand of Luzula sylvatica ‘Aurea’, a woodrush with acid yellow leaves and a few feet away, a group of Milium effusum ‘Aureum’, or Bowles’ golden grass, whose strap-like foliage glows golden yellow in spring.

In a tiny planting pocket occupied by a fern, Polystichum setiferum, I’ve planted a group of Brimeura amethystina ‘Alba’, which make a pretty white skirt around its feathery fronds in May. It looks like a miniature bluebell, with tubular flowers held on slender stalks.

In the main bed, the first to flower are winter aconites that grow close to the path. The egg yolk yellow flowers of Eranthis cilicica sometimes appear as early as January and perch on top of a nest of bronze tinged foliage. As it only grows to 2in (5cm) tall, you need to give it a prominent position. Almost echoing the shape of the flowers, in another part of the bed is a group of Hacquetia epipactis. This low-growing, clump forming perennial has tiny yellow flowers fused between green bracts that appear during late winter and early spring.

Things really start to motor from February, when Narcissus ‘February Gold’ flowers. Planted randomly in the bed, this dwarf cyclamineus type has gorgeous golden trumpets that continue into March. Interest at ground level comes from small groups of Crocus chrysanthus ‘Snowbunting’, a choice little flower with white flowers marked with delicate indigo feathering on the outer petals. In the centre of each are some lovely and very noticeable, orange stigma.

By April, all of the early bulbs have finished, but there is a group of dog’s toothed violets, Erythronium californicum ‘White Beauty’ in the middle of the bed, which has delectable large white flowers and marbled leaves. This is the bed’s moment of glory with sprays of white froth erupting from a clump of Brunnera macrophylla ‘Betty Bowring’ and delicate snowy flowers rising on wiry stems above leafy woodlander, Epimedium x youngianum ‘Niveum’. Arching over the path are the leafy stalks of false Solomon’s seal, or Smilacina racemosa, which terminate in a plume of white, slightly scented flowers.

Unfortunately summer in the front is a bit of damp squib, but that’s when the back garden comes into its own.

If you’re a lover of lists, here’s what I’ve planted.

Martyn’s front garden plants
Hacquetia epipactis
Arisarum proboscideum – mouse plant
Smilacina racemosa – false spikenard
Hosta ‘Francee’
Brunnera macrophylla ‘Betty Bowring’
Acanthus mollis ‘Hollard’s Gold’ – bear’s breeches
Milium effusum ‘Aureum’ – Bowles’ golden grass
Luzula sylvatica ‘Aurea’ – greater woodrush
Asarum splendens – Chinese wild ginger
Epimedium x youngianum ‘Niveum’
Hydrangea anomala subsp.petiolaris – climbing hydrangea
Asplenium scolopendrium – hart’s-tongue fern
Polystichum setiferum – soft shield fern
Polystichum setiferum Congestum Group
Dicentra spectabilis ‘Alba’ – bleeding heart
Hedge
Ligustrum ovalifolium – green privet
Bulbs
Erythronium californicum ‘White Beauty’
Crocus chrysanthus ‘Snow Bunting’
Brimeura amethystina ‘Alba’
Eranthis cilicica – winter aconite
Narcissus ‘February Gold’ – daffodil
Hanging basket/pots
Chlorophytum comosum ‘Variegatum’ – spider plant
Soleirolia soleirolii – mind-your-own business
S. soleirolii ‘Aurea’ – mind-your-own business
S. soleirollii ‘Variegata’ – mind-your-own business