A touch of frost?

  It's been a cold, icy and, at times, snowy week in the garden. I've been out making sure that visiting wildlife has access to water and that the feeders have been topped up for the birds I've been encouraging into the garden. So far, it's been the easiest week of winter to shuffle all the family outdoors: the children were quick to stumble into the snow to find the sledge and throw snowballs, while Steve was keen to capture some wintry images on his new camera.

                            © Steven J. Martin

  For me, the snow has been a great tool for helping to think about the form and texture of the plants I use in the garden. Individual leaves, detailed with a shimmer of frost or sprinkling of snow, highlight the contrast between neighbouring plants. 

                                                     fans of Fatsia japonica leaves

  On a larger scale, differences in the overall form of plant shapes are easy to see beneath a covering of snow - rounded, conical, spikey or a low mound. It's useful to reflect on whether the balance of different shapes in the border is quite right and to make notes to add, take away or move plants later in the year to refresh and restore a balance where needed.

                                                         strappy leaves of Phormium

  The snow has also provided a welcome blanket over the plants, protecting them from the cold. At home, you might be well advised to consider knocking snow off any hedges and conifers to prevent them from becoming mis-shapen with the weight of the snow. Once the snow's melted there is still a risk of frost damage: most at risk are container-grown plants as it's the plant's roots that are particularly susceptible to cold. Wrap the containers in bubble-wrap or even newspaper tied with a string and stuffed with straw to provide some protection against the cold. 

Appledore, Wednesday, 23rd January, 2013

Winter colour in the garden

                                               Wakehurst Place, Sussex

  At this time of year it's often easy to think of the garden as being rather bare of colour, with interest focussed on the shape and form of evergreen shrubs and any texture provided by bare branches and twisted bark. However, all is not lost. With some careful planning your garden can be colourful too and can become a welcome haven in the short January days.

  To see some winter colour for yourself take a visit to Wakehurst Place in Sussex, where some wonderful winter planting combinations can be found, as well as deliciously scented shrubs that are well placed to remind you of the ability of a garden to touch all of your senses.

                                   Daphne bholua 'Jacqueline Postill' AGM

  Two planting combinations in particular caught my eye when I visited today: firstly Daphne bholua 'Jacqueline Postill' AGM - a highly scented evergreen shrub which is covered in star-like ice-pink flowers - shown off against the contrasting deep purple foliage of an adjacent Pittosporum, and secondly, in a contemporary planting style, Cornus alba 'Kesselringii' underplanted with a carpet of Erica x darleyensis 'White Perfection' AGM, the dark red bark of the deciduous dogwood contrasted beautifully against the soft white mounds of the low-growing evergreen shrub beneath. By repeated planting of each of the shrubs, the two borders were able to provide simple, yet very effective splashes of colour, texture and, in the case of Daphne bhoula, scent on an overcast and chilly afternoon.

                                                           Cornus alba 'Kesselringii'

                             Erica x darleyensis 'White Perfection' AGM

Wakehurst Place, Tuesday, 8th January 2013