Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2014 | Page 59

3

GARDENING
OF THE

BEST

Berberis are spiny beasts, usually
relegated to beds in shopping complex
car parks, unloved and hacked into
soulless mounds. This is a shame as
they're undemanding and resilient
and many are worthy of a space in the
garden. They provide a long season
of interest with foliage, flowers and
berries. Three evergreen varieties
to consider are Berberis julianae, B.
darwinii and B. x stenophylla. Wildlife
can benefit too, bees enjoy the
blossoms, birds love the berries and the
spiny branches make safe nesting sites.

Getting into shape
her
Winter gardens are a rat
the
er
aft
monochrome affair
n but
gaudy glory of the autum
they need
this does not mean that
to look for
to be boring. The trick is
s beneath
the architecture that lie
flower 2