Dead and decaying plants are not supposed to be attractive but in the winter garden they can find a new lease of life, writes John Manley
WE MAY be entering the coldest, darkest part of the year but you can take some heart from the fact that in less than two weeks the winter solstice will have passed and the days will again be getting longer.
It will be some time, however, before the garden is reborn, before the sap rises, the buds swell and spring bulbs bloom.
Without doubt most gardens are in their prime from the spring through to early autumn but that shouldn’t automatically cast the winter garden as the ugly sister. I’ll concede at the outset that even the best gardens struggle to look good on a damp, dark December’s day but sprinkle them with frost and light with bright winter sunshine et voila – you have the makings of a great atmospheric Christmas card.
The structure of a garden is important for maximising its winter appeal.
Adventurous landscaping, with plenty of curves, a smattering of evergreens and some dazzling dogwood are the obligatory boxes to be ticked in any winter wonderland.
However, it is also important to acknowledge the part played by dead stuff.
I’m not being morbid but merely highlighting the role that can be played by plants who’ve shaken off this mortal coil completely or herbaceous perennials whose life has retreated below the ground.
The tradition with many gardeners would have been to clean up borders and cut down rotting material, keeping everything neat and tidy.
But not only is this the wrong approach as far as wildlife is concerned, many plants gain a second life when dead – paradoxically – with shape and structure becoming their appealing characteristics instead of foliage and flowers.
It is close to the antithesis of an archetypal summer garden scene but crunching your way along frosty paths on a bright crisp winter’s morning past the lingering seedheads and brittle ornamental grasses is as good as beholding any hot bed in July.
As landscape designer Tom Stuart-Smith recently told The Guardian: “Every garden should include some plants that die beautifully.”
I find the best performers are prairie-type perennials, umbellifers and grasses (and/or sedges).
Rudbeckia, echinacea and echinops are among my favourite late summer perennials but in their decomposing form, when the colour has long disappeared from their flowers, they continue to put on a great show.
Eryngiums, or sea hollies, are another plant which, when left alone to die gracefully, extend their appeal well into winter. Other noteworthy perennials are alliums – or ornamental onions – and candelabra primulas.
I imagine the plant collector who brought Giant Hogweed to Europe immediately recognised its potential as a winter wow factor as it has an imposing structure that lasts to Christmas and beyond.
Of course, you want to avoid this invasive alien in the garden, as its cultivation is against the law but other plants with umbellifer-style flowers such as fennel or Angelica archangelica will achieve a similar effect.
Ornamental grasses, including sedges such as carex, rank among the best winter plants even when bereft of life.
They are flexible enough to withstand a battering from storms but when the frosts come they stand upright with their seedheads glistening in the sun.
Panicum virgatum ‘Prairie Fire’ or Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’ are both enduring varieties, as is Stipa tenuissima ‘Pony Tails’.
Regarded as a weed by less liberal gardeners, teasel is a fantastic architectural plant that holds its form in winter and also provides bird food.
However, perhaps my favourite decaying plant is the globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus).
An edible grown by many as an ornamental, it packs all the impact of Giant Hogweed though without the threat of sap burns.
The artichoke’s flowers sit six feet up, atop strong hollow stalks.
As the days grow shorter, the globes from which it derives its name slowly transform from green to a beautiful golden brown.
Speak Your Mind