Gardening

ALTERNATIVES TO A CHRISTMAS TREE

Mike Burks, Managing Director, The Gardens Group

Thinking of whether to have a Christmas tree this year? I can’t believe that! But in fact, more and more people are going without or preferring another feature as the centrepiece of their Christmas display. Sometimes this is due to space restrictions, sometimes it’s the fear of the tidy-up after Twelfth Night and there is also the concern that a cut tree is not sustainable environmentally.

With the latter issue, it is debatable. Many say that as long as at least another tree is planted to replace the one cut down then the process is carbon neutral – apart from transport and production costs of course. If it’s bought from us then the tree can then be brought back to Castle Gardens (or we’ll even collect it) and we’ll turn it into useful mulch. Some recent research shows that for the same environmental impact, an artificial tree needs to be kept for ten years to be comparable.

Other options are to have a container-grown tree and the best quality grown trees are ideal. For them to be a success in the long term it is wise to bring them into the house as late as possible before Christmas and to get them back out into the garden as soon as possible afterwards – a warm, centrally heated house is not the normal environment for a Christmas tree! For the rest of the year the tree will need to be kept very well-watered and even sunk into the ground and lifted again a year later.

Useful potted varieties include the Blue Spruce and the Nordman Firs, as well as Norway Spruce. An alternative to these traditional varieties is the Norfolk Island Pine, which is a house or conservatory plant. Its perfectly uniform tiered branches are quite wonderful, especially in a contemporary setting.

There are also some wonderfully realistic artificial trees ranging from 3 inches high to 12 feet or more. Gone are the days of silver or gold trees, although black was the latest chic a few years ago. Most of the high-quality trees look so good and of course, can be used from year to year.

Some are even pre-lit with a few well-chosen decorations. Add in your old favourites and family heirlooms and the Christmas atmosphere will soon be apparent.

Having said all of this, I can be certain to hear many times over as we get close to Christmas ‘I wasn’t going to have a tree this year but…’ - luckily, we have a wonderful range of the best quality trees from the traditional Norway Spruce to the more popular non-needle drop varieties such as Nordman, Noble and Fraser Firs.

Certainly, in our house, we’ll have a real tree and it’ll be chosen at the same time in December as we always do. Our favourite is the Noble Fir – just beautiful with a curved needle which holds well.

thegardensgroup.co.uk

Image: Nico Goodden

LIVING THE GOODDEN LIFE

Nico and Chrystall Goodden

Early winter is an inspiring time for us both. The garden twinkles with sparkling frosts and intricate webs that string their way from seed head to seed to seed head. Sure the days are short and cold but the sunrises and sunsets are spectacular. The fallen leaves allow us to see the skeletons of the trees, creating striking silhouettes on the horizon while letting light through the woodland canopy.

The long warm October meant we were, unbelievably, enjoying the very last of the courgettes and tomatoes in the first week of November. It was a brilliant year for growing tomatoes outside. We’re experimenting by saving a couple of cuttings from this year’s plants to over-winter inside under lights in the hopes of getting a head-start on next year and having strong, sizeable plants ready for spring.

This extended warm weather bought us some time in other areas too. We sowed broad beans, onion and garlic sets perhaps a little later than we should, however, I read somewhere that a good time to plant is when you feel like it and well, for us, that was in the half-light of a November afternoon before a blazing sunset.

Lamb’s lettuce and mustard leaves cover just about every inch of soil and whatever doesn’t get eaten (by us or the pheasants) will be worked back into the soil in the spring. The chicory, however, remains well and truly covered, protected mainly from the pheasants seeking refuge in the garden. The makeshift polytunnel erected with bamboo and clothes pegs has stood up remarkably well to the autumn storms. The ‘Rosa de Treviso’ and ‘Rosalba’ varieties have turned the beautifully vivid red and pink tones that are only brought on by the cold. These vitamin-rich leaves make for gorgeous salads with winter citrus (and a big blob of burrata for good

measure) that will brighten up even the dullest of winter days.

We’ve been enjoying our rather abysmal squash harvest – just a couple of Crown Princes this year. They needed far more summer rain than 2022 had to offer. However, a little still goes a long way. They’ve been a welcome roasted side to a number of Sunday lunches, centre-stage in Nico’s pumpkin pie and the staple in simple soups that await in the freezer, ready to thaw and warm us inside and out through the coming months.

Yacon is a true winner this time of year and is being thrown in to bulk up sweet and savoury dishes. It takes on the flavour of whatever it’s swimming in but retains its crunch, a little like a water chestnut. It’s found its way into curries, tagines and a delicious quince crumble. It’s our second year growing these and they held up remarkably well to the dry summer. We’re trialling leaving the juicy tubers in the ground and covering them with a thick straw mulch until we want to use them in the hopes they’ll keep better.

It’s our first year growing Jerusalem artichokes. We lifted a few tubers from Nico’s uncle’s garden, planted them in the spring and have all but forgotten about them until now. Such an impressive yield for very little effort involved and they make a delicious soup with thyme and chestnuts.

Speaking of which, it’s been an incredible year for chestnuts – each woodland walk had us filling our pockets with the largest we’d ever seen. The woodland generosity has not been limited to that – the fungi keep on giving. We found our first Ceps and Amethyst Deceivers this year and the Oyster mushrooms keep on coming. They were all brought together in an unforgettable creamy chicken, bacon, chestnut and wild mushroom pie - winter food at its absolute best.

And while the garden all but grounds to a halt, there are still more fungi to look forward to. We’re particularly on the lookout for wood blewits, which are said to be excellent eating. There is plenty of wood-ear or jelly ear to be found, normally clinging to mossy branches of elders. This is a beautifully unusual fungus (as most of them are) and is used a lot in Asian cuisine. Delicious as a salad with garlic, chillies, spring onion, soy sauce and fried shallots. However, another favourite way to enjoy them is to rehydrate the dried jelly ears in festive schnapps, then dipped into melted chocolate and left to set. They retain the flavour of the schnapps and keep a Turkish Delight-like texture - delightful!

There are plenty of jobs on the garden to-do list, however, it’s December and after resisting getting swept up in it all through November, we are now firmly in festive mode. We’ll get to the jobs in January so for now, it’s all about preparing gifts of sloe gin and preserves and getting into the spirit of the season.

While we leave most seed heads for the wildlife over winter, vases of teasel, poppy heads, lunaria and a good swathe of old man’s beard have been drying away in the potting shed, waiting for their time to shine in Christmas wreath form. We weave the wreath base from our willow garden fence, collect evergreen spruce and pine windfall from the surrounding woodland and wrap it all up with jute – that way it’s completely biodegradable and can all be thrown on the compost in January.

After a long year of growing, it feels quite special to be able to serve our home-grown vegetables at the Christmas table. It reminds us why we go to such an effort to grow our own food; to share great food and the best of ingredients with family and friends.

Nico: @nicholasgoodden Chrystall: @thegooddenlife creativebritishgarden.com

Compost, Top Soil, Mulch, Manure & Chippings

North Buckham Farm, Beaminster 01308 863054 / 07974 943411

DELIVERY AVAILABLE

enquiries@chedingtoncompost.co.uk