Local Life - Wigan - November 2018
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102 Gardening<br />
Looking forward to<br />
Award Winner<br />
Christmas?<br />
by Angie Barker<br />
Noel Fielding is accredited with saying “all you<br />
need in life is health, love and something to look<br />
forward to”. How true. Health and love aside, we all<br />
look forward to things – a holiday, a birthday, family<br />
occasions and of course Christmas – well for me<br />
that’s how it works with some plants.<br />
Some flowers are so special and spectacular that<br />
they don’t last long, having spent all their energy<br />
creating a fabulous display. Hubby always asks<br />
me why I bother with Poppies, Irises and Peonies<br />
and the like, when their blooms are so fleeting. I<br />
explain that for me, half the pleasure of growing<br />
them is the anticipation and the looking forward to<br />
seeing them in all their glory and this is part of their<br />
attraction.<br />
When plants have long seasons of interest, Conifers<br />
for example, yes they give a garden year round<br />
structure but are they a tad boring? Do we hardly<br />
notice them because they simply fade into the<br />
background? And what about hardy Geraniums.<br />
Brilliant garden plants for long seasons of colour<br />
and in all sorts of situations, sun or shade. And yet<br />
their flowers don’t fall under the spectacular flower<br />
umbrella and I can’t say that I spend 11 months of<br />
the year looking forward to seeing them. Colourful,<br />
hardy and reliable as they are (just like Hubby really)<br />
noted for spectacular blooms they ain’t.<br />
And take flowering Cherry trees – fabulous displays<br />
of pink blooms in spring but an ill timed storm and<br />
their blossom is scattered and you think why did I<br />
bother. Bearded Irises are another case in point.<br />
Much used by garden designers at the Chelsea<br />
Flower Shows over the years and one of the joys<br />
of spring and early summer in a garden. But<br />
unfortunately they only flower for two weeks and<br />
an individual flower for only two or three days. Yet<br />
I still grow them in the garden because when they<br />
are in bloom they are completely fabulous.<br />
So when the stunning flowers of my Magnolia are<br />
fading fast, yes the heart sinks for a moment but<br />
then it’s like Boxing Day – you start to look forward<br />
to Christmas all over again!<br />
Angie is a qualified<br />
award-winning garden<br />
designer who will<br />
plan your garden to<br />
your needs from start<br />
to finish, supplying<br />
reputable contractors<br />
and the ideal plants.<br />
Call Angie now for your free consultation!<br />
Angie Barker Dip GD<br />
(Inst GD) BA (Hons)<br />
Garden Design For All Seasons<br />
Tel: 01942 522 405<br />
Mob: 07857 008 383<br />
Award Winner<br />
www.angiebarker.co.uk
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