WINTER EVERGREENS OF MERIT

WINTER EVERGREENS OF MERIT

The autumn may now be fading into winter and garden flowers are not so plentiful, but now it is the turn of colourful evergreens to brighten up the garden while we wander around on those few bright sunny days. It is quite surprising to see a wide range of plants getting our attention over the winter months, so make sure you find room for some of them. There is still a few with flowers such as the Jasmine, Erica carnea and Mahonia, but berries are very attractive in early winter on the Holly, Pyracantha, Skimmia and Pernettya. Beauty also comes from variegated foliage with Euonymus being one of the best. Some of the heather family of Calluna vulgaris have rich orange and golden foliage which really strengthens after some frost.

Flowers in winter

Although there are not many plants flowering in winter, they are really appreciated when they put on a show after a few days of continuous sunny days, then die away, only to reappear later at the next sunny spell. The ground cover heather Erica carnea has pink flowers (Springwood Pink) as well as white (Springwood White) and both are very reliable, tough, hardy and easy to grow.

Mahonia aquifolium grows to four feet and has brilliant golden slightly scented flowers. The variety Charity is quite superior to the species. The Christmas rose, Helleborus niger comes in many colours, but my favourite is the pure white form. However it has been affected by the unusually cold wet weather so flowering can be very erratic as it thinks late summer is winter and time to flower. I can understand its confusion.

Yellow jasmine is a climber/twinning vigorous plant that can flower all winter. It starts off appearing to be evergreen and although it loses its leaves, the green stems make it appear like an evergreen. Some deciduous shrubs are at their best in winter such as the pink scented Viburnum fragrans and the variety bodnantense Dawn.

The Chinese Witch Hazel, Hamamelis mollis produces numerous weird looking, but very attractive yellow scented flowers in late winter. It also has fantastic autumn colour.

Best of the berries

Cotoneaster frigidus, horizontalis, simonsii and many other species berry profusely. However choose one according to space available as frigidus grows into a small tree. Pyracantha, the Firethorn, also gets smothered in bright red berries that only last until the birds get hungry, but really put on a brilliant display.

Holly is also a small tree but different forms have red and yellow berries.

Pernettya is a dwarf evergreen with large white, pink, red and mauve berries which can last most of the winter as the birds don’t find them very tasty. They will only start to eat them at the end of winter when desperation for any food is at critical levels.

Stunning foliage

Euonymus fortunei comes with silver foliage, Silver Queen or golden foliage, Emerald n Gold and really impresses with its bold colour when most other plants are dormant and dull. Both are excellent low growing ground cover shrubs. Two other showy shrubs with golden foliage are Choisya Sundance and the shrubby honeysuckle Lonicera Baggesons Gold. Both very reliable and birds just love to nest in the Lonicera. They will grow to four feet, but Elaeagnus pungens maculata, (sorry about that long name) with its golden variegated leaves will reach ten feet in time. Keep checking it for branches that revert back to green and remove them entirely.

Coming back to ground level the Heucheras are now the in plant to grow. For some reason that escapes me everyone is planting them as the latest must have garden plant. I do admit that they are very attractive, but so are many other plants. I only have a modest twelve plant collection.

Lower in height is the black grass, Ophiopogon planiscapus nigrescens, (who makes up these names!!!) It is very different with its black foliage, but perfect as a ground cover around red stemmed Cornus Westonbirt, and with pristine white snowdrops planted underneath, it creates a breathtaking display in late winter.

Lastly, a wee ground hugging succulent is always found in my garden. This purple leaved sedum is a wee beauty in winter in the rock garden, but is also troubled with long name as Sedum spathulifolium purpureum. However we need these long names to make sure we get the right plant.

Plant of the week

Holly known botanically as Ilex aquifolium is always a very welcome sight in December with its bright red berries, as we head towards Christmas. It is a slow grower and not too fussy about soil or position (sun or shade) but does eventually make a small tree so allow it a fair bit of room. However if space is limited it can be pruned annually in winter giving it time to put on some growth that can mature and produce a crop of berries for the following winter.

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EVERY GARDEN NEEDS A TREE

 EVERY GARDEN NEEDS A TREE

When I started my first garden as a very keen fifteen year old apprentice gardener with a heap of enthusiasm, but no experience I was determined that my wee council house garden in St. Marys would stand up proud if it had a few trees. There was precious little space, but I managed a laburnum, an upright cherry, Prunus Amanogawa and a weeping birch Betula pendula youngii. There was a lot of really excellent gardeners in the Dundee Parks dept where I worked so advice was given that if I wanted a really impressive weeping birch I would have to stop it weeping and force it to grow tall first before it started serious weeping. The main stem was tied to a stake then as it grew it was tied to another long cane on top of my stake. Eventually it reached about fifteen feet then I let it weep. I got a fantastic specimen. Moving on to bigger gardens my love of trees stayed with me and over time I planted numerous trees in gardens all over UK.

I now have a decent sized garden so I have indulged in many of my favourites, though I am not yet on the scale where I can have my fruiting walnut, a weeping silver lime, an Atlas cedar or a mulberry, and I would also love a big copse of white stemmed birch trees. Maybe one day!!!

Trees add scale to a garden, encourage birds and other wildlife, can screen eyesores and create impressive specimens in lawns and borders. Trees can be selected for any size of garden and may be ornamental, flowering and fruiting.

Ornamental trees

Only plant oak, beech, lime, Scots pine, spruce and cedar if you have a huge garden with space to let them grow, but for normal gardens there is always smaller growing trees. Rowan is a favourite in Scotland and berries come in white, orange and yellow as well as red. Birch is another common species and I prefer Betula jaquemontii for its brilliant white trunk and B. Youngii as a great weeping form. The dwarf weeping elm tree, Ulmus camperdownii, is well worth planting as it is very attractive as well as being our local elm. Upright forms of many trees exist, that do not take up too much space such as hornbeam, oaks and cherry. For larger trees try a Eucalyptus, whitebeam, hawthorn or Japanese or other maple. Maples have dazzling autumn colour, come in all sizes and many have ornamental bark. The golden leaved Robinia frisia grows well in Dundee as long as the ground is well drained, and it can make a stunning specimen.

Leyland cypress should be avoided as although it is cheap, easy to grow and fast, it soon becomes a nuisance and at the end of the day it is not all that attractive.

Flowering trees

Cherries, crab apples, Magnolias, Eucryphia, Lilac and Amelanchier are all perfect for smaller gardens. Prunus Amanogawa is upright and quite narrow. Prunus Shirotae is spreading, but an absolute stunner in flower. Crab apples flower then have a crop of very bright small apples, e.g. John Downie. Some Magnolias are more large shrubs, but can attain a fair height when mature.

Eucryphia Rostrevor is slow growing but will make a tall white flowering tree in time.

Amelanchier is brilliant in flower, has terrific autumn colour and if you get the fruiting form, known as the Saskatoon, the birds will get a healthy feed in summer.

Fruiting trees

If you prefer to have a fruiting tree then the choice can include apples, pears, plums, peaches, and cherries, and if you have the room and patience try a mulberry. Modern dwarfing rootstocks now allow us to have apples, peaches and cherries that will happily fit into the small garden often trained against a south facing wall. Choose varieties that have healthy foliage as there are very few fungicides available to tackle scab, mildew or brown rot. I can recommend apple Discovery, Katy, Red Devil, Fiesta and Bramley for a good cooker. Victoria is still my favourite plum, Peregrine a good peach, and Beurre Hardy my best pear, but newer varieties are appearing all the time and it is good to try something different.

Plant of the week

Jasminum nudiflorum is at its best in late autumn to early winter, but will continue to flower every time we get a few mild days. Its bright yellow flowers are very welcome at this time of year. It is treated as a wall climber, but needs a support and tying in. It can be planted on a north wall, or any other aspect, but flowers best in full sun. It is not fussy about soil as long as the drainage is good and is very easy to propagate as long shoots arch over onto the ground and quickly take root by layering.

Painting of the month

“Picture of Fruit” is an acrylic painting of summer fruits, completed as part of a project of about thirty paintings using fruits as still life subjects. I included peppers, Cape gooseberries, mushrooms, bananas, grapes, apples and pears, and set up spot lights to create a dramatic effect.

Some of these can be seen in the West End Gallery in the Perth Road Dundee.

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NUTRITIOUS PLANTS FOR A HEALTHY LIFE

NUTRITIOUS PLANTS FOR A HEALTHY LIFE

We all want to live long healthy lives, so what we eat is extremely important. Research is giving us the information on the health aspects of most edible plants to allow us to select the best types to grow in our garden. Plants previously thought of as a bit common, e.g. rhubarb, kale, broad beans and beetroot are now almost elevated to superfood status, so lets have a look at a few crops that will help to keep us in good health. I tried to select my best six, then it went to my top ten, but that still left out too many others and we tend to grow more of those we just love to eat like rasps and strawberries. Looking at my crops for this year I have grown a range of about twenty different vegetables and fourteen different soft and top fruit. All of them have beneficial properties but some have a wider range and varying amounts of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

I will mention a few of my favourites here, though not in any order.

Beetroot was traditionally pickled, but today it is now gaining its place as a delicious savoury, spicy chutney and it makes one of my favourite soups. Its red colour is full of antioxidants and vitamin C as well as potassium, sodium and magnesium. This has shown to lower blood pressure and has beneficial affects for cardiovascular health. Grow enough to last from early summer till late winter, though soups and savouries can be frozen.

Rhubarb is one of the easiest crops to grow. Usually planted in a shady spot next to the compost heap giving it plenty moisture and gross feeding which it thrives on. Give it an annual dressing of fertiliser and some compost and make sure it is well watered in summer. You can leave it alone for at least five years. Use it stewed in puddings or for pies, crumbles and compote, or blend with figs for a delicious jam.

It is high in calcium and potassium and antioxidants. When cooked it releases high levels of polyphenols which may have a beneficial affect against some cancers. It is high in fibres which help sufferers with high cholesterol.

Apples are quickly becoming an essential plant for the family garden to encourage children into leisure gardening. Modern dwarfing rootstocks now give us very small trees to fit in any garden, but having normal sized fruit. Popular varieties such as Katy, Scrumptious, Discovery, Fiesta and Red Devil are very reliable croppers with disease resisting foliage with sweet fruit full of flavour. The high levels of pectin in apples helps to lower bad cholesterol, and the fruit is high in boron and a range of flavanoids which helps to strengthen bones.

Tomatoes grown in your own greenhouse and picked when fully ripe have a taste far superior to  anything bought in a supermarket which is harvested unripe so it can travel without being damaged, and last a long time on a shelf. Tomatoes are delicious picked fresh off the vine, added to salads dressed with olive oil, or cooked in pizzas and soups. They contain vitamin A, E and C, potassium, and a wide range of antioxidants which help to reduce the risk of prostate and pancreatic cancer, and heart disease.

Swiss Chard and Kale together with broccoli are at the top of the green leafy vegetables for healthy eating. They are very high in fibre, vitamins and an excellent source of the minerals calcium, potassium and manganese as well as beta-carotene an antioxidant having beneficial effects against heart disease, cancer and age related problems. Kale can be used in soups, stews, added to stir fries and pastas. Swiss chard is used the same way and has a similar range of health benefits as well as iron and the vitamins A, C and K.

Saskatoons, Aronias and Blackcurrants are three black berries very high in anthocyanin, an antioxidant and vitamin C. These are very important in maintaining good health for vision, heart, aging, urinary tract and brain. They are all very easy to grow and can be eaten fresh from the bush or in jams, compote, smoothies, drinks and summer puddings. The new blackcurrant Big Ben has been bred for large fruit for eating off the bush. Aronias, also known as the chokeberry, have a slight astringency so are best cooked or added to other fruit recipes, but they have one of the highest levels of antioxidants of any recorded fruit and are packed with minerals and vitamins.

They also all make a terrific wine that retains its high levels of antioxidants.

Plant of the week

Coral bark maple, Acer palmatum Sangokaku is a large shrub or very small Japanese maple tree. It is very attractive all year round, but is brilliant in autumn with fiery orange foliage, then after leaf fall its coral pink bark just glistens in the sun. Plant it in a sheltered spot in sun or partial shade away from winds in soil that is well drained but retains moisture. It is not fast growing at first but once established it can easily put on a couple of feet per year. I grow mine in my coloured stem border in the winter garden.

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Composting and Digging

COMPOSTING AND DIGGING

The end of season tidy up of the garden and allotment creates a lot of green waste that is invaluable to build up your compost heap. Grass cuttings, kitchen waste from preparing fruit and vegetables are all compostable. Harvested vegetables such as peas, beans, sweet corn, onions all need shelling and cleaning before they are ready for storing, giving more waste for the compost heap. Autumn and early winter is also a time for tree and shrub pruning, and for those keen gardeners with a decent sized garden it is well worth while buying a small shredder to chop up your pruning fine enough to assist breakdown on the compost heap. At home we all have heaps of old newspapers and unwanted mail which can also be shredded with a small cheap electric shredder giving us more compostable waste. By early winter most trees and deciduous shrubs will have lost their leaves, so gather these up and add them to the heap

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If you have access to horse, cow, pig or hen manure these can be added to the heap.

However don’t add diseased plant material, (blackspot infected rose leaves or clubroot infected cabbage roots) or perennial weeds, unless you have already killed them by spraying with glyphosate or leaving out in the sun on a hard dry surface to shrivel them up.

The compost heap

Most councils and garden centres will have compost bins available to purchase, and you can even buy the appropriate strain of composting worms, but making a compost heap is really very simple and once you have sorted out a location worms will soon appear in their thousands and be very happy to break down all your garden waste. I always build my heap on a soil surface so the worms can find a rich source of food.

Compost heaps are best put on spare land in the shade, but with good access for adding to the heap, turning it over a couple of times a year and then digging it out to transport it where ever you want it.

Allow for a heap up to about four feet in height and three or more feet width and length. Support the sides with old pallets, corrugated iron or construct your own with good well preserved timber so it lasts a few years.

I turn my heap three times a year so it rots down quickly and compost is ready to dig into the ground by early winter every year.

It is beneficial to mix ingredients and chop up rhubarb leaves, cabbage leaves, old sweet corn and broad bean plants. If you are adding grass cuttings always mix these into other waste to allow air and water to penetrate the heap. Cover the heap with old carpets or similar material to prevent it drying out, but remove it from time to time to let rain in to keep it moist, and if there is ever a dry spell make sure the heap is well watered and covered. Worms, fungus and bacteria need warmth and moisture to do their job.

Winter digging

There are different schools of thought on digging and some of the no digging believers get good results, but I have always been into digging. The exercise benefits are huge, providing you only do as much as your body can handle. I tend to dig for about two hours, twice a week. I start in November and try to complete my allotment digging by Christmas. Only dig when the ground is dryish on the surface and in a wet winter you may not get completed till nearly spring. I spread my compost over the ground to be dug, take out a trench and make sure the compost is buried as I dig. Leave the surface as rough as possible to expose a large surface area of soil. Winter frosts will break this down to a nice tilth by spring.

Areas that have been green manured with mustard, clover, rye grasses or other crop can be left till they show signs of flowers. At this stage, trample them flat and chop up stems to make it easier to bury them when digging. If growth has been excessive you can cut down the foliage and put it on the compost heap, but add some rotted compost before digging to compensate.

In those areas intended for brassicas, you may want to give a dressing of hydrated lime to improve the pH which helps to discourage clubroot. However allow a few weeks after manuring before adding the lime.

Plant of the week

Pyracantha, commonly known as the firethorn, is one of the most prolific berrying shrubs in the garden. The berries can be red, orange or yellow and usually last well into winter. It can be grown as a large spreading evergreen shrub or hedge, but more often used as a wall climber where it can reach twelve feet or more. It is very thorny and perfect as a deterrent to burglars around vulnerable windows. It is quite happy on a north facing wall, but needs tying in on wires or a trellis framework, as it has no means of support. Prune it to shape in winter to keep it in its place, cutting back any straggling shoots.

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