Wealden Times | WT177 | November 2016 | Christmas Gifts supplement inside

Garden
Credit: FreeImages.com/Jorge Vicente
look lovely among grasses, or next to sturdier evergreens.
Some plants have sculptural seed heads, hips and
berries, which are lovely for us to look at and are also of
huge importance to wildlife, so even if you like things
neat and tidy do try to leave an area. Looking out for
wildlife is a good excuse for not being too neat and tidy.
Winter harvests
I have to admit that I sometimes find growing crops
through the summer months quite exhausting, especially
this year, as we’ve had virtually no rain, and because of the
mild winter last year, there have been so many more pests
around. Once the cold weather arrives, the pests disappear,
the plants slow their growth (hot weather causes so many
things to bolt into flower) and I can breathe once more.
There are quite a few worthy vegetables that are hardy
all through the winter, but if I only had space to grow
one vegetable crop it would be leeks - and then I’d try to
squeeze in a few kale plants, and perhaps some spinach.
These three are brilliant to grow and harvest through
the winter months and will stay safe in the plot like
an outdoor larder, until you’re ready to pick them.
If you haven’t got any winter crops to harvest and the
summer ones have all finished, try not to leave the ground
bare. Nature feels naked without a cover and will try to
compensate with a blanket of weeds, so apply a mulch
to any bare soil - that way the worms will work it all into
the ground and prepare you a perfect space for planting
into next spring. Let’s hear it again for the worms.
Evergreens
Once the winter proper comes and the flowers have drifted
off like fickle fair-weather friends, it’s an idea to have a few
faithful companions in the background ready to step in.
I love the quiet handsomeness of evergreens like
Viburnum davidii or Hebe ‘Red Edge’ - they sit stalwart and
demure, waiting out the warmer months in the shadow of
showier plants, like unsung heroes in the borders. Summer
flowers can be a bit ‘all mouth and no trousers’, and are
usually cut short, sometimes completely
destroyed by the first frosts of autumn.
Frost may kill the more tender plants, but it positively
enhances the look of many evergreens, gilding the bare
bones of the border. The squelchy brown mush of frosted
plants never seems to sparkle in quite the same way.
If your borders are lacking in structure, now is the
perfect time to plant shrubs, evergreen or deciduous. The
ground is still fairly warm and welcoming, but growth
has stopped, so they’ll have time to establish a good root
system before the spring. Evergreen shrubs will give you
the same look all through the year, but there are quite a
few deciduous shrubs that have interesting bark, berries or
winter blossom to bring a little cheer through the winter.
Leaves
This is the month for autumn leaves - at first we gasp
in delight at their golden gorgeousness and then clench
our teeth (or worse) as they fall and clog ponds, lawns
and borders. Raking up leaves is tedious, but just think
of all the leaf mould you’ll make and the exercise you’ll
get (unless you’d rather be freshwater swimming?).
If you can, make a separate heap for leaves (or fill a
perforated black plastic bag and leave it behind the shed). Leaf
mould does take longer to make than ordinary compost - up
to 2-3 years, but it’s lovely stuff once it does; it’s known as
‘gardener’s gold’ (we’re easily pleased) and is highly prized as
a component of potting compost, or as a fine grade mulch.
‘Musical plants’
I don’t know about you, but I’m never completely
satisfied with the plants in my borders - every year they
perform differently, depending on the weather, the general
conditions and what they find themselves planted next
to. Each season I have new favourites to find space for
and a few boring ones that need relegating out of sight.
The good news is that this is the perfect time of year
for moving plants around (I call it ‘musical plants’,
although there’s never much music, but it has that
feel to it and I’m always ready for tea at the end).
Most herbaceous perennials benefit from being lifted,
divided and replanted every few years, either because
they’ve formed big clumps and are invading their
neighbours, or because they’re in need of rejuvenating
- the oldest part of the plant stops flowering.
The general rule of thumb is to discard the centre of the
plant and replant the younger, more vigorous sections. Next
year, obviously, once the reshuffle’s complete and the right
plants are in the right places, it will all look perfect…
The days may be getting shorter, and colder, but if the
weather allows, we can still be lifting and dividing plants,
admiring the beautiful dead and filling our hearts with
late autumn colour. We can defy the cold and dark of the
coming season for a little while longer and go out in a blaze
of leafy glory. Rakes at the ready then, let’s get out there.
Contact Jo for border designs, planting and garden
advice: 01233 861149 jo@hornbrookmanor.co.uk
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