Garrya e. James Roof
Notify MeIn the middle of winter, when almost nothing is happening, the silk tassel bush hangs itself with grey-green catkins up to 20 cm long. Garrya elliptica 'James Roof' is the male selection grown for exactly this, because male plants carry the longest tassels. They swing from the branches for weeks against leathery, dull-green evergreen leaves with pale woolly undersides. Flowering runs roughly May to August.
This is a shrub to plant where it will be seen in winter: beside a path, near a door, or trained flat against a wall or fence where the tassels hang clear of the foliage. Wall training is the traditional treatment and it suits a courtyard, since the plant takes up little depth. Cut branches last well indoors.
Plant in full sun to part shade in free-draining soil. Garrya handles wind, coastal exposure and dry ground once established, which makes it more useful than its appearance suggests. It is hardy through most of New Zealand and only wants shelter in the coldest inland gardens. Avoid heavy ground that stays wet in winter, as poor drainage is what kills it.
Reaches 2.5 to 4 m tall and much the same across, or less when wall-trained.
Trimming: Prune straight after the tassels finish in late winter or early spring, which is the only safe window. Take out crossing and dead wood and shorten wayward shoots. Wall-trained plants need the forward-facing shoots removed each year to keep them flat.
Deadheading: Not needed. Spent catkins drop of their own accord, and there is nothing to gain from removing them.
Fertilising: Feed once in early spring with a general slow-release fertiliser and mulch afterwards. Garrya grows well on ordinary soil and does not need pushing.
Watering: Water through the first two summers while it establishes, which takes longer than most shrubs. After that it is drought tolerant and needs help only in extended dry weather.
Pest Control: Little troubles it. Scale insects occasionally build up on stems in a sheltered position and are treated with horticultural oil.
Disease Management: Root rot in wet soil is the main risk and the reason for planting high on heavy ground. Leaf spot can mark older foliage in humid weather without harming the plant.
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