Simply..you win some....

and in every garden, you do from time to time lose some.

It's just a pity when it is a star plant and four weeks to Open Day!

But viburnum 'Davidii' a very handsome shrub, despite being weighed to the ground by snow more than once this winter is looking splendid by the front door. The flowers are followed by berries of an amazing blue and the evergreen leaves are beautifully veined. Unlike viburnum tinus which smells so awful I wouldn't grow it, this has no scent.

Viburnum plicatum 'Mariesii' I love for it's horizontal form. This was a beautiful specimen, so perfect that we spent some time clearing away other things from around it to show off it's form and 'honour it with it's own space'.

I had hoped that it was just late coming into leaf but since these few leaves appeared on a low branch it became clear the rest was dead. It took many years to grow to this size and leaves a big gap.

But I have an idea....