Thursday, 15 December 2011

Winter day trip: Anglesey Abbey

I've seen several magazines this month with beautiful features on the Winter Walk at Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire. I visited last February when it was still going strong, and highly recommend it. When we think of winter plants we often think of evergreens and berried plants, but at Anglesey Abbey they've gone for amazing scents as well as wonderful visual displays. Viburnums and Sarcococcas are particularly powerful and really draw you in to take a closer look (and sniff). They also use trees with gorgeous barks - I love the glade of pure white silver birch, like a ghostly forest as you come round the corner, as well as the glossy, reddy-brown of Prunus serrula.   
They also have a wonderful collection of snowdrops in early spring, with all sorts of varieties ranging from good old Galanthus nivalis to super-expensive collector's varieties selling for at least £30 per bulb. 
The photograph is the incredible Cornus sanguinea 'Winter Beauty', which really deserves to be planted in long drifts like this to make the most of its fabulous colours. Another popular variety is 'Midwinter Fire', which sums up the display perfectly.

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