Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2008/January 2009 | Page 78
life
GARDENING
Sally studied horticulture at Duchy College, Cornwall (Bsc (Hons) Horticulture)
before breaking into gardening journalism.
Winter
wonderland
Sally Charrett
If you have a question for Sally need some advice or even a suggestion for an article
then please email: [email protected]
At this chilly time of year, it’s easy to disregard the garden as a grey and dull place that has shut
up shop for winter, and instead put your feet up with a cup of tea and good gardening book. But
there’s still much to enjoy in the garden enthuses Sally Charrett, who also takes a look at how
you can bring some of the garden inside, when decorating the house for Christmas.
Compared to the bright splashes of colour
that tend to steal the show during the
summer months, the garden in winter
takes on a different, more subtle beauty;
we just need to look a little harder to spot
its charms. Interesting stems and bark
are often revealed after leaf drop, and the
crispy, brown skeletons and seedheads of
herbaceous perennials still standing, can
look stunning backlit by the low wintry
sun.
Evergreens become really important
when most other foliage and flowers have
faded, and this doesn’t have to mean
gloomy, dark green shrubs or conifers
either. In my own garden, I have gone
for a selection of bamboos, phormiums,
cordylines, Acuba japonica, Pittosporum
and Fatsia japonica. This gives quite a
jungle-feel and it’s incredible how the
lush greenness stands out against the
bare branches of the native tree belt just
behind the back fence. If you prefer a
more traditional look, box and yew are
satisfying to look at when pruned into
interesting shapes such as cubes, balls
and spirals. Elephant’s ears (Bergenia)
provide good evergreen ground cover,
turning shades of burgundy during the
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cold months and have lovely deep pink or
white flowers in the spring to boot. They
do look good when planted in drifts. Try
Bressingham Beauty or Wintermarchen.
Creating winter interest in your garden
need not be expensive, and rather can be
seen as an investment, as some plants give
you a lot more for your money than you
realise. Cornus sanguinea Midwinter Fire
for example has clusters of white flowers
in June, and mid-green leaves which turn
orangey-brown in the autumn, to reveal
red-tipped orangey-yellow stems in the
winter. It’s clear where this plant gets
its name, as it can easily be confused for
the flames of a bonfire burning brightly
amidst a bleak landscape. Plant en masse
for the greatest impact. For best stem
colour, cut the stems back hard to within
5-7cm from the ground in March and
apply a generous mulch of organic matter
around the base of the plant.
For a tree you can enjoy from the kitchen
window all year round try Acer griseum
(Paper Bark maple). A slow-growing
tree with gorgeous bright red foliage in
autumn, it has lovely cinnamon-coloured,
naturally peeling bark.
Most winter flowers are shy and retiring,
but make up for it with the redeeming
feature of scent and are best positioned
by a path of doorway for people to
appreciate. Try Lonicera x purpusii
‘Winter Beauty’ (Winter Honeysuckle)
for something a little different. This
med ium-sized, slow-growing shrub has
deliciously scented small yellow-white
flowers, on display between December and
March. Plant in between shrubs that give
summer interest if you have the space, as
once this shrub comes into leaf, it is rather
insignificant. Other exceptional shrubs
for winter scent are: Daphne bholua,
mahonias, Sarcococca and Witch Hazel.
Depending on how they fare during
really bad wet or freezing weather, the
plumes of grasses such as miscanthus, and
the seedheads of herbaceous perennials
like teasel, old man’s beard and Sea Holly,
can provide fantastic winter interest if left
unpruned.
Many well-known gardens include
specific areas for winter interest or offer
guided winter walks. If you’re stuck for
inspiration, wrap up warm, and take a
stroll, armed with a notebook.
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