West Wales Life&Style Winter 2020

Gardening
West Wales Life&Style
West Wales Life&Style
Gardening
create a layer below that followed
by herbaceous perennials, bulbs and
ground cover plants. When planting
make sure it’s in an informal
haphazard way so you replicate
the feeling of natural woodland, no
straight lines.
Trees with light canopies such as
silver birch are ideal for woodland
gardens, as they have height and
structure but don’t overwhelm the
other plants. Rowan and crab apple
work well too. If your garden is
treeless, you can buy semi-mature
trees to add an instant woodland
effect.
Use shade-tolerant shrubs to
create a layer beneath the canopy,
to add all year round interest.
These can be a mix of evergreen and
deciduous shrubs such as skimmia,
hydrangea and viburnum.
Herbaceous perennials like
hellebores and hostas and
springtime bulbs form a layer
beneath the shrubs, adding splashes
of colour and attracting pollinating
insects. You can let spring bulbs
As autumn really gets under way leaves are falling rapidly, and wind
and rain are on the increase so here are some general gardening tips for
this month from the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society)…
Clear up fallen leaves - especially from lawns, ponds and beds
Raise containers onto pot feet to prevent waterlogging
Plant tulip bulbs for a spring display next year
Prune roses to prevent wind-rock
Plant out winter bedding
Cover brassicas with netting if pigeons are a problem
•
Insulate outdoor containers from frost - bubblewrap works well
This will be your last chance to mow lawns
•
and trim hedges in mild areas
Put out bird food to encourage winter birds into the garden
naturalise, which results in
wonderful swathes of flowers and
foliage. Many favourite wildflowers
are native woodland plants and
have adapted to growing under
trees and in shady spots such as
foxgloves, primroses and bluebells.
Let them self-seed to give an
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authentic natural woodland feel.
Finally, plan a natural way to
move through and experience the
garden by laying out an informal
meandering and irregular path. It
can be created with gravel or mulch,
paved with stone or brick, or simply
left bare and edged with timber.
A green Christmas
Your garden gives up some
beautiful gifts of its own at
this time of year – allowing
you to bring the outside into the
home with foliage and ‘green’
decorations.
By using your garden as a
resource, you can create some
simple yet beautiful decorative
displays for the Christmas season.
What better way to celebrate
than by bringing festive cheer to
your home and garden with two
traditional Christmas favourites –
Holly and Ivy.
They are perfect garden plants,
with many boasting beautifully
variegated leaves along with fruits
and berries that provide seasonal
food for hungry birds. Holly is hardy
and evergreen, making it an ideal
shrub to form part of the backbone
or structure that every garden
needs. Most holly plants are either
male or female, so to ensure you
get a crop of berries you’ll need to
grow a female variety and ensure
there’s a male nearby to pollinate
its flowers. With thick evergreen
growth and spiny foliage, holly is
also a good choice of shrub to form
a dense and secure boundary hedge
to your property and it can also be
tightly clipped into formal shapes
and topiary.
Ivy is a valuable climber or ground
cover plant, perfect for a shady
spot or for cladding bare fences or
garden structures. However, it must
be kept under control with regular
pruning to prevent it spreading
too far or becoming invasive.
Established ivy carries flowers late
in the season that provide valuable
nectar for late-flying butterflies and
bees, as well as great nesting site
opportunities for blackbirds and
others.
As an alternative to the traditional
red colour scheme of Christmas,
try mixing white and silver for
The Christmas rose – Helleborus niger – is a fabulous bloom to enjoy over the festive period
December is definitely a time to catch up on some indoor gardening jobs
and have a rest, but for those that are out and about here are some top
tips from the Royal Horticultural Society...
Make sure there is food for garden birds
Check that greenhouse heaters are working
Prevent ponds from freezing
•
Prune acers, birches and vines before Christmas
Harvest leeks, parsnips, winter cabbage, sprouts and remaining
root crops
Deciduous trees and shrubs can still be planted and transplanted
Take hardwood cuttings
•
Keep mice away from stored produce
Reduce watering of houseplants
planters inside and outside for a
clean and stylish look. Put greyleafed
lavender and senecio together
with white cyclamen and decorate
with strings of silver beads and
small LED white lights. Or, go
for a beautiful Christmas rose –
Helleborus niger – and plant with
pale pink or white cyclamen and
training ivy around the edges to
make the container feel like it’s
overflowing.
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