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Geoffrey Carr |
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December 2009 Trees for Small Gardens As
memories of summer fade so too does the colour of flowers and leaves and we
are once again left with a garden bereft of its clothes. Gone are all the
fluffy and fancy bits and only the skeletons and bones remain, forming a
meagre image that greets you as you open the curtains every wintery morning.
But your garden does not have to stop working for you during the months
between November and March. There
are many ways to make the garden an interesting and rewarding place even in
the grey depths of an English winter. For example, a feature or focal point
that remains hidden by summer foliage can be allowed to jump out now and
provide drama or direction to the eye. Carefully chosen plants that give
summer interest in the beds can also provide winter interest through their
seed heads, stems and flower spikes. A third option for winter interest is a
well placed tree which gives valuable structure and a focal point whether
evergreen or deciduous. A
future article will discuss summer flowering plants for the beds and borders
that also provide winter interest. But for now here is a list of trees that
are suitable for all gardens but especially those small spaces that need to
make every single plant work hard for its keep: acer, birch, cherry, dove tree, ghost tree,
handkerchief tree, laburnum, mountain ash, pear, quince, sorbus (mountain
ash), thorn and wisteria. Some of these trees can even be successfully grown
for years in a pot placed on a patio. For more tree-related information visit
the following web sites: - www.treecouncil.org.uk, www.rhs.org.uk,
www.gardenersworld.com.
Please contact me at info@geoffreycarr.co.uk if you have any
questions or queries. |
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