GARDENING
Planting with vision and forethought T
he key to lengthening interest in the autumn and winter garden is to choose plants, trees and shrubs that offer changing leaf colours and are fragrant or evergreen.
November is the perfect time to plant trees and shrubs as the earth is still warm before the hard frosts begin. Their roots get going quickly and are well established before the heat of the forthcoming summer.
Sarcococca or sweet box are tough as old boots and will tolerate deep shade. Bearing tiny white flowers with a powerful delicious scent, they will not grow big, have Lancelot dark green leaves and some have attractive purple stems.
Holly or Illex are a great choice for the back of a shrub border or as a specimen in a pot or bed. Illex silver queen has green leaves edged with white and will give much interest, particularly when smothered in bright red berries. They can be slow growing so be prepared to wait for it to be mature and three metres tall. Little pruning is required.
Wagon House Gardens at the Jinney Ring Craft Centre near Hanbury have a great selection of Sweet box and it would make an interesting addition to the garden, particularly if it’s planted near to where you regularly pass by.
Mahonia grown for attractive foliage and fragrant showy late winter or early spring sulphur yellow flowers are invaluable as a source of pollen and nectar for winter colonies of bees and other pollinators. They can be a little bit boisterous but with pruning every other year you can keep them compact and they would make a worthy contribution. Another highly recommended addition is the Skimmia, which will do well in any well drained acid soil. It’s a compact shrub with dark green leaves and dark red flowers produced in the autumn that last through the winter until they open in the spring. Skimmia requires little maintenance, just a little light pruning after flowering and is great in a pot or container. However, make sure to get a male plant so you are rewarded with the flowers and the black berries that follow.
If you’re thinking of a tree, then Acer Griseum or paper bark maple would be my choice. It is ideal for a small or medium garden offering a dappled shade across the garden in the summer when in full leaf.They are deciduous with palmate leaves but offer a show of brilliant red and orange in autumn.The attractive peeling papery chestnut brown bark also adds to the joy of this small tree offering year-round interest. Gardening is often for the long run. It can be years before your plants mature with colour or in form and you are rewarded with the desired effect or aspect or, in some cases, flowers. It is often all about the future rather than the now and I really admire those landscape gardeners of long ago who appreciated that it would be future generations who would reap the rewards of their vision and skill.
Karl Strawbridge
Wagon House Gardens The Jinney Ring Craft Centre, Hanbury, B60 4BU Tel: 01527 821421
Jobs in the garden for November Clear fallen leaves from paths, beds and importantly ponds Put out bird food to encourage birds to visit, this will help control the slugs and snails Cover cabbage and spouts with netting to deter the pigeons Prune roses by a third to prevent wind rock There’s still time to plant bulbs
14 Completely Bromsgrove
