Merry Christmas to you all! I hope Santa was good to you and your stocking was filed with at least one new item for the garden.
‘Ding-ding’ it’s Boxing Day now and the only way I’m going to get myself ready for round two of my Christmas dinner is to get out in the garden.
The festive holiday is the one where I actually like to take a proper break from doing any work in the garden, enjoying proper time with the kids and the rest of the family not worrying if a mower has broken down or there are any tree issues at work. It doesn’t mean I’m not out there, if I didn’t get out for a walk in the fresh air during this time off I dread to think the size I would be by the time January came.
Structural planning
Not that I try too hard but it’s impossible to switch off completely and armed with a mug of tea and a notebook, I like using these walks to look at and mull over the garden. It’s kind of like an end of year assessment, thinking about the successes and failures of the past year and whilst the garden is stripped back and bare, to look in particular at the trees and shrubs which are the plants that give the backbone and structure to the garden.
During the growing season when a tree is fully clothed with leaves the framework of branches is hidden but can be seen clearly at this time of year especially on those cold, crisp days when all you can see is the silhouette of the tree against the clear blue sky. It’s here you can study the shape of the tree being easier to see any low-hanging branches which if removed, can make a big difference to growth of any plants growing underneath.
This window between now and the end of February is my favourite time for carrying out such works being best for the tree and it’s health. At this time the tree is in it’s winter rest period where any cuts carried out will have time to heal naturally before the sap begins to move around the tree again come late winter and early spring, when pruning from then may see the tree bleed. For younger trees still concentrating hard building up a good root system, this may weaken them affecting their growth and overall health.
I find it amazing how the simple removal of just a few of the lower branches on a small tree can let in more light helping to make an enclosed garden feel that little bit bigger.
Fill the gaps
I also find it easier during these months to spot any large gaps or eyesores that would benefit from a well placed evergreen winter flowering shrub. Viburnum tinus is one of the best which has clusters of little white flowers now and through to spring plus the tall, perhaps exotic looking holly-like foliage Mahonia, with fragrant yellow flowers. Of course over the winter there isn’t the same abundance of plant riches but the garden needs to work 365 days of the year for me and it can.
Top tips for topiary
I’m getting a wee fancy for topiary these days using my evergreen plants such as Box, Yew, Lonicera and Holly to test my clipping skills. I usually keep it simple with straight forward shapes such as lollipops, balls, pyramids and cubes but who knows where this will take me and maybe in time I will be creating more intricately shaped, living structures. They are stylish additions at any time of the year but really standing out just now when all else is having a rest.
If you are short of space you can still enjoy a selection of home grown apples and pears by taking advantage of training techniques where the naked framework during winter also make decorative features. Up against walls or fences tied onto horizontal wires, cordons consist of only a single main stem grown at an angle of 45 degrees. As only 2ft is needed between plants quite a few different varieties can be fit in to a small area looking very neat but not as formal as espaliers, the branches on these growing perfectly symmetrical along the wires from the main stem. I think it’s just amazing what you can do with plants.
Contemporary rock gardens
I’m a big fan of rock or alpine gardens being very privileged to have had the chance to reconstruct the one up at the Beechgrove Garden in Aberdeen. These areas include some of my favourite plants but if cleverly constructed the rock work itself can make an attractive feature, visually taking over from the herbaceous plants currently resting underground. There was a fashion of making these gardens resemble currant buns with a stone cherry on top but today we the have crevice gardens, using slabs of stone or slate set vertically, which in my view would look very stylish in the garden of today’s modern build homes.
There’s no doubt it’s been a strange year not many of us would ever have imagined. Despite it all, the grass kept growing and our plants still flowered helping to keep me distracted and my mind at peace. They’ll continue to do so in 2021 and I tell you what, I CANT WAIT!