Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2014/January 2015 | Page 62

GARDENING

Reading not weeding

E

very gardener deserves a little rest
and relaxation at this time of year, and
time absorbed in seed catalogues or a
good gardening book is time well spent. My
suggestions? After hearing Sam Llewellyn
at the Isle of Wight Literary Festival I've
added the laugh-out-loud ‘Digging with
the Duchess’ to my Christmas list. For the
practically minded who enjoy eating the
fruits of their labours ‘Allotment Month by

Month’ by Alan Buckingham may be a good
investment. The ‘gardnerds' and lovers of
coffee table books among us will relish
diving into the weighty and beautifully
illustrated ‘Plants, from Roots to Riches’
which traces the story of 250 of the plants
brought back to Kew during the past 250
years. It ties in with a Radio 4 series of the
same name.

IN THE
GARDEN
With Tina Hughes

The Ivy League

Full circle
T

he end of 2014 draws closer
and I'm in a reflective mood.
There's much to ponder; 100
years ago the start of WWI changed
the face of horticulture forever
as the men and boys laid aside
their tools, picked up rifles, never
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to return. From a more practical
point of view a lovely summer and
a record breaking autumn has
perhaps gone some way towards
helping those who suffered with
the flooding last winter, I hope this
winter's kinder.

C

ommon Ivy is often despised for its
invasive habits and the belief it strangles
trees. In reality most large trees are not
endangered and many species of insect, bird
and mammal depend on it's dense evergreen
shelter for survival.
Ivies are often under used in our gardens,
and there's an astonishing 250 cultivars of our
native species Hedera helix. Whether covering
a sound but unsightly wall or trailing from a pot
or hanging basket there's plenty of choice. Leaf
shape and colour ranges from the tiny darkest
green of H.helix ’Little Diamond' to the sunny
soft yellow of H.helix ’Buttercup'. Variegated and
pale leaved varieties need more light to flourish.