Aroundtown Magazine Nov/Dec 2023 edition

HOME & GARDEN
Glad tidings
of compost and joy
with Garden Designer, Sally Cunis
Winter will soon be here but the garden has been
confused by the warmth of the late Indian summer
this year.
Roses, passionflower and
honeysuckle have been flowering
well beyond their normal season,
as have lavender, Verbena
bonariensis and Penstemon which
add strong splashes of purple to the
autumn garden.
In fact, the mild weather enabled
me to pick a pretty little posy of rose
buds, holly berries, lavender and
herbs to place on top of my son’s
wedding cake at the end of October.
Parthenocissus henryana and
the Japanese maples enchant with
their fiery reds while elsewhere in the
garden leaves turn through various
shades of butter yellow, orange
and russet.
Berries abound, a feast for
hungry birds lighting up deciduous
It is a good time to
“
empty bird boxes and
clean them before the
next nesting season
starts. Some garden
birds may use the
boxes to roost in
during the winter.
”
Blue tit nest
and evergreen trees and shrubs;
roses, holly, Cotoneaster, Sorbus
and hawthorn are weighed down
with berries of red, orange and pink.
No doubt many of the red ones
will be stripped by our resident
blackbirds and, at some point, by
the beautiful redwings which visit
the UK in flocks in the winter looking
for berries.
Garden birds will need an
energy boost as temperatures drop.
Feeders and water bowls should be
cleaned and refilled regularly. It is a
good time to empty bird boxes and
clean them before the next nesting
season starts. Some garden birds
may use the boxes to roost in during
the winter.
As it has been so mild, it is easy
to forget about the tender plants in
the garden. Remember to bring in
pelargoniums and citrus plants and,
anything that is tender but too heavy
to move, wrap up against the worst
of the weather.
Tidy up the garden, putting the
last of the leaves into pierced bags
to make leaf mould, and clean
your tools. If you have a bonfire,
remember to check for hibernating
Parthenocissus henryana
Passionflower
Wreath using material
from the garden
hedgehogs in advance.
As the end of the year
approaches, our thoughts turn
towards the festive season, to gifts
to be made and ways to enhance
the house.
Every year I enjoy making my
own wreath for my door; sometimes
friends join me too for a little
workshop. I like to use foraged plant
material from the garden reusing,
where possible, an old wire frame
or willow base covered with florist’s
moss. An overlapping layer of holly,
secured with twine, onto which I
twist a long strand of variegated ivy,
creates a good background. Make
up some little bunches of evergreen
leaves including Euonymus, holly,
bay, rosemary and Pittosporum
to brighten up the wreath. Wire
in securely. Coloured stems of
Cornus (dogwood), seed heads
Heps of Rugosa Rose
Blue monoprint of seeds and ferns
and feathers can be pushed in
and larch or fircones wired up and
added. If the birds have left some
berries, these can be added nearer
to Christmas as they may go black if
cut too early.
Crab apples make lovely jelly,
sloes from the hedgerows make
great Sloe Gin, and hedgerow
jelly (using blackberries, rosehips,
damsons, elderberries, haws, rowan
berries and crabapples) is delicious.
For myself, I have been
printmaking in recent years often
using ferns, seed heads and
leaves from the garden to make
monoprints, as well as drawing
inspiration from the birds and
plants in my garden so many of my
presents are garden themed but in
print form!
Whatever you do in the garden
this festive season, enjoy it.
66 aroundtownmagazine.co.uk