We were
delighted to welcome back Maureen Flett, to speak to us about the
delights of creating a winter garden to parallel the summer's zenith. Maureen
suggested we change our paradigm: seeing the gardening year as a
continuous cycle. As the days shorten perhaps we should view
this time not as “the back end” but the beginning of the year.
Here are
some of Maureen's thoughts and tips for the garden in winter:
Use
plants to create structural features e.g. stems create beautiful
silhouettes if tall
When
devising planting schemes consider how the plants will look in
autumn & winter, thus giving an opportunity for year round
effects.
Seed
heads replace flowers (but beware of seeds that you don't want to
self propagate)
Berries
& remaining vegetation provide food & shelter for birds,
insects & small mammals.
Hollow
stems become natural 'bug hotels' for overwintering insects such as
lacewings
Die
back of vegetation provides natural fertilisation
Winter
flowering plants provide bees with essential sustenance (though bee
keepers provide fondant for their over wintering bee colonies)
Evergreens
provide structure
Do
tidy paths etc. for safety and to allow you to walk around your
garden
Lift
foliage off the floor as moulds can develop below & affect the
plants' health
Take
care with garden centre plants as they may not be fully acclimatised
Have
fleeces available for those precious plants that need protection
Keep
an eye on weather forecasts whenever possible
Maureen
advises us to use the RHS plant finder to select plants for winter.
However here are some comments about her own favourites:
For
dogwoods to look spectacular they need to be cut hard back to within
6 inches in February of each year. To rejuvenate dog woods, prune
1/3 over three years to avoid demise of the plant.
Sarcococca
confusa (sweet
box). This prunes very easily & is not susceptible to box
blight. But it is toxic to dogs!
Ilex
crenata (box
leafed / Japanese holly) gives good structure; is an alternative to
box & is easily pruned
Perennial
Erysimum
varieties can flower prolifically almost all year round in well
drained soils
Heucheras,
Heucherellas & Tirellas
provide
ongoing form in winter
Honey
suckle, Lonicera
× purpusii
'Winter Beauty' smells wonderful
Prune
your roses for shape. Be careful when making rose hip syrup as the
seeds inside the hip have a hairy coating which can be an irritant.
Harvesting after the first frost acts as a sweetener
Hayloft
& J. Parker Wholesale – examples of plant suppliers
Professionally
Maureen is Sports Therapist, owning her own Sports & Performing
Arts Injury Clinic, based at Warwick Bridge. So here are some of her
general tips for looking after our joints & skeleton:
Always
pace yourself, physically
Take
care to wear safe footwear, wrap up warmly
Epsom
salts baths: In
water, the salts breaks down into magnesium and sulfate. The theory
is that when you soak
in an Epsom salt bath,
these get into your body through your skin. That hasn't been proven,
but just soaking in warm water can help relax muscles and loosen
stiff joints. If used, try to buy in bulk e.g. WCFs
Use
mechanical gear-powered hand tools whenever possible e.g. Fiskars
range
Gentle
stretching of normal hand joints can allow joint lubrication
Maureen is a registered speaker with the RHS,
Cottage Garden Society and Garden Organic.
www.gardeningforhealth.com
