The winter iris, as it happens, is not particularly well known. It is not widely sold in garden centres because it does not present well on the sales bench, looking like an unruly bunch of dead grass.

It has a habit of flowering intermittently, taking its chances with a couple of flowers during occasional fine spells. This drip-drip of flowering is not doing anything for sales, but this is a very important part of the delight of a first flower and every other flower that follows. Who could resist a plant that flowers on and off from November to March?

Not being a great seller for the reasons outlined, but being highly esteemed by those who have it, it is usually passed on to others who want it, and onwards again.

The winter iris is also sometimes called Algerian iris because it grows in rocky areas of that country, but it is native to parts of Greece, Turkey and Syria as well as neighbouring Tunisia. It can take about five years to finally produce a flower from a division. The size of plant at the outset and the growing conditions given have a big influence on the time taken.

Iris.

It has to be watched for the appearance of flowers because the flower stem is quite short. Unlike other iris species, which usually thrust their large flowers up into warm summer air and sunshine, the winter iris has adapted to coping with a scorching dry summer, and flowering in the cooler part of the Mediterranean region climate. Spells of cold drying weather are not unusual at flowering.

The individual flowers are classic iris shape and are of an exquisite azure blue shading off to pale amethyst purple with a clear bar of yellow on the lower petals and beautiful dark blue veining running away from the yellow. The flower is quite large, not as big as the summer irises but a good hand’s breadth across.

The flower pops out of its protective sheath and unfolds in the space of a couple of warm days. The almost ethereal colour of the petals is perfectly underscored by the flower’s delicate structure. The stem is very short and the flower is pushed up to the light by the flower tube from within the flower bud. This tube is almost transparent, resembling the shank of a slender toadstool more than a plant. The petals have something of the same translucent quality.

The Algerian iris, Iris unguicularis, thrives in a sunny position in well-drained soil.

A south-facing wall is the best place to plant it so that it gains some extra heat from the reflected sunshine and the effect of the wall as a heat store.

Its grassy, half-withered evergreen foliage is extremely tough and protects the plants both in winter and summer. The leaves are a feature of the plant in themselves since they wither to form attractive spirals with the green living leaves spiking through. If you see it for sale, buy it. One called ‘Walter Butt’ is usually offered.

Start the buying of vegetable seeds

There is always a bit of a rush to get in the main spring outdoor sowing of vegetable seeds, and, as a result, we default to the tried and trusted varieties with little or no new trials. While it is obviously good policy to stick with the varieties we know work, these might have been superseded by something new.

Try a couple of new vegetables, at least new to you. These could be spinach, or climbing French beans, celeriac or brokali, a stem broccoli, among many. Or some new varieties, and, although these can be very good croppers, they are often F1 hybrids and very often all mature together. Check on last year’s leftover seeds. They might be okay. Place a few seeds from each packet on damp tissue paper in a plastic tray with cling film and a few air holes.

Place in a warm spot, even a hot press to force them on, they are only a test. Count the number that germinate and a percentage as low as 30% will still give enough plants for most vegetables. A couple of hours spent on seed research makes vegetable growing more interesting than it already is

This week

Fruit, vegetables and herbs

Plant new fruit trees and bushes. Control weeds around established fruit trees and bushes. Prune apple and pear trees and blackcurrant and gooseberry bushes now. Dig over vegetable ground, removing old crops not already taken out. Do not dig if sticky.

Trees, shrubs and roses

Roses can be pruned now because growth will soon begin, if it has not already done so. Roses are barely dormant and late pruning removes early growth and makes them flower late. Hard-prune late-summer shrubs, such as buddleia and fuchsias, and late clematis.

Flowers

If you want to raise some of your own bedding flowers for summer, some of the best sorts, including geraniums, need to be sown now in a heated propagator. Overgrown herbaceous perennial flowers can be lifted, divided and re-planted in a fine spell.

Lawn

Mow the lawn now if there is a spell of dry weather. There has been a fair bout of good weather recently. One or two mowings during January or February will leave the grass neat until March. Moss-killer can be used, although it is more effective in autumn.

Greenhouse and house plants

Keep the greenhouse dry by watering only as much as required. A grape vine can be given more water in sunny weather to encourage early growth — the earlier the vine starts into growth the earlier it will ripen. Check all plants for pests.