Wealden Times | WT179 | January 2017 | Health & Beauty supplement inside

Garden
Gardening Resolutions
Jo Arnell advises us on taking positive steps in the garden for the year ahead.
Here we go again – out with
the old and in with the
new and all the happy
resolutions are sitting there looking
shiny and achievable. Hopes are
high and all is ‘plans and perusing’.
I’ve been looking out of the window
and have to confess that my own
resolutions are a bit tedious: 1. finish
projects before starting others, 2.
label seeds and cuttings, and 3. don’t
make piles of things. I’m hoping
that you don’t have my bad habits,
so I’ve chosen a few more that
might help to make a difference,
not just to the look of the garden
itself, but also to the experience of
being in the garden. Here goes:
1. Plant a tree
Anyone with a garden will have room
for a tree. Not a giant Redwood, or
anything too close to the house that will
clog the drains and lift the foundations,
but something that will give height
and interest all through the year. There
are plenty of beautiful small trees for
smaller gardens, or even for within
borders. I’m a bit mean when it comes
to choosing trees and shrubs, especially
if they’re going to be focal points. After
all, if they’ve been invited to be the
star attraction, they ought to provide
at least two seasons of interest. So look
out for trees that will have good foliage,
blossom, fruit and a handsome overall
shape. Too much to ask? I don’t think so.
5
Top
Small trees to
plant this year:
Acer – there’s an Acer to suit
every garden and all of them
have fantastic foliage in the
autumn. Some have good
spring foliage, too, and a few,
like Acer palmatum ‘Sangokaku’
and Acer griseum have
interesting winter bark. Plant
Acers in a sheltered spot.
Amelanchier – this is another
good all-rounder with coppery
young foliage, autumn tints and
blossom in April. If you grow it
as a multi-stem, rather than with
just one trunk, it will stay the size
of an elegant shrub, or ‘treelet’.
Sorbus aucuparia – better
known as Rowan, or Mountain
Ash, the native species will give
you blossom, autumn foliage
and red berries, while some
of the cultivars have berries
in orange, pink or white.
Crabapple – hard to beat for
three seasons of interest, blossom,
fruit and autumn foliage.
Cornus kousa – this is a
lovely tree to grow as a focal
point, either in the border
among other plants or on
its own. It has long-lasting
large bracts in summer.
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