a step forward
It has been a while since we last wrote; although the work in the garden hasn’t ceased, it has taken a more relaxed pace this last year. Up to this point the bones to the majority of the garden have been set in place; allowing us to take a step back and collect our thoughts. The hedging which was planted years ago now sits established and full, in need of a good cut come early Spring. It’s dark, thickened form provides a presence which has been greatly anticipated. We have bided our time with the shaping of the Taxus, allowing it to set root and find its feet before determining its eventual form; its sensitive formwork has provided a good base to continue its character this year.
The trees have also settled and now feel more permanent in their positions, a combination of Ornamental, Native and Fruiting species that help provide atmosphere and familiarity; species such as Crab Apple, Magnolia, Hawthorn, Plum, Apple and Pear. The Hamamelis, as expected, provides a daily fascination at this time of year, understated but for a moment in Winter. Of recent, the garden has been coated with a blanket of snow and the lack of sun and below zero temperatures helps to ignite its fiery tassels furthermore; a tree that should become a staple for every garden.
The stonewalls now sit weathered and showing patina; it is hard to distinguish the original stone from the new and with this ageing comes yet another layer to the garden which surrenders to the Welsh weather. Moss, ferns and geraniums colonise the cracks, signifying time and the beauty of waiting. This last year the perennials have provided so much intrigue; although only small adjustments have been made to the beds, we find that every year it feels different, sometimes only subtly but other times more apparent. This fluidity is part of the charm. It provides a degree of spontaneity which is what we feel a garden is all about - the unexpected nuances that arise year on year.
There are certain plants we want to provide attention to this coming Spring, mostly staking and supporting so that they don’t flop later in the season. The Filipendula ulmeria that sits to the back of the large planting beds is a prime example; a front runner early on in the season but for the past two years it has become too large and weighty, a hazard when combined with the heavy rain, resulting in a splaying arch come July/August. A frantic Hazel support never regains its former nature, so we have promised to be more pragmatic in our approach.
We have had the same problem with our Sanguisorba tenuifolia 'Stand Up Comedian' that sat in the middle of the planting beds. We found it reached towering heights, leaning onto its neighbours later in Summer, and although the delicate tails had the ability to look good amongst anything it slowly became a nuisance to control. It was an easy remedy though - switching this to a smaller, more upright kin (S. Burr Blanc) and moving the 'Stand Up Comedian’ to the back of the beds where it could settle amongst similar friends. A smaller variety, S. Burr Blanc, has provided the same level of detail and tone but sits at around 1.2m and requires no staking; a variety we now use a lot more when searching for detail in the middle and front of a boarder.
Walls and hedges now divide the garden into individual areas and the trees, shrubs and perennials provide the downiness and romance that carries the garden though the seasons, but there is always a section or detail in the garden that needs finishing off. Currently, compacted hardcore covers the pathways and seating areas, a layer that was to provide hard ground until we had the time to consider a more artisan approach. In areas, grass has begun to develop on the routes less taken, a subtle reminder that nature will regain what isn’t nurtured. We will begin the process of gathering stone on site to start this transition, to strike a balance that offers a more artistic and sensitive approach whilst still leaving gaps for Nature’s hand. The kitchen garden was also put on hold and entering the New Year we have felt the excitement of providing home grown vegetables and fruit again for the family. Although the kitchen garden is looking overgrown, over the next month or so we will be getting it back to a simplistic growing space for sewing in March/April.
This coming year we will look to document these changes when we find the time to get into the garden, moments which always ground us and slow us down to appreciate the processes and connection we have with the natural world.
