January: life in slow-motion

I have been spending far too much time recently in front of screens following world events.

When my internet crashed for a few hours I re-discovered a much-neglected treasure: there were five different breeds of birds all trying to get at the birdfeeder outside my window - sparrows, wagtails, blue tits, chaffinches, and a robin pecking up the left over. Fascinated to see how they vied for position and used their different shaped beaks, I lost track of time and settled into a gentle reverie. Ah yes, that is what relaxing is…I remember now! I love being a Hampshire garden designer based in Romsey but it is easy to forget how entertaining the local wildlife can be!

If you want to encourage birdlife and keep yourself busy and warm in the coming month, here are a few tasks to get stuck into:

• Keep your birdfeeder topped up but make sure the feed is not so large as to choke small and young birds.

• Even in winter there can be dry spells so keep your birdbath topped up and an ice-free patch in your pond too.

• Disease can be a problem for avian wildlife: wash down feeders and birdbaths cleaning off all unwanted detritus every month.

• Offer a grain mix for birds as well as high-fat feeds as birds need a balanced diet - as we do!

• Don’t use cooked fats from meats or vegetables as this can damage the insulating properties of their feathers. Suet is ideal.

• Birds like to have a nearby perch to check out the feed area before swooping in, so place the feeder safely away from cats but near to branches.

• Bird food in plastic mesh can trap tiny feet: solid feeders are better. Keep these topped up to save the birds valuable time and energy looking for food.

• Songbirds love fruit but be careful where you place this as it will also attract furry visitors!

• Check tree ties and stakes. The cold winter winds can knock newly established plants all over the place. Give plants added protection if necessary.

• Tidy up any unruly plants, especially climbers, that may have been dislodged in high winds. Virginia creeper is best pruned now.

• Make the most of the lack of vegetation on most plants to get into shrubberies in order to remove brambles and self-seeded saplings.

• Brush and spread worm casts that appear on the lawn, spiking the lawn where drainage is poor.

• Cut back the foliage of Hellebores: this will allow the flowers to be better seen and appreciated in the coming months.

The days are getting longer, the nights shorter and the cooing pigeons outside my bedroom window are beginning to start up again: we must be entering a New Year.

Relax. Breathe. Think of the Bare Necessities!

December: comfort and joy

For reasons that are probably not too hard to fathom in a time of lock down, I have a growing collection of indoor plants and have taken to attempting some flower arranging. The latter is probably a generous description of what I actually do, but in a time of restrictions, it is a source of great comfort and joy.

Part of the pleasure comes from foraging for colourful stems and flower heads. These do not even have to be at their flowering best to be effective. The heads of Hydrangeas have a pinkish faded beauty and majesty about them: combined with Pheasant Berry (Leycesteria formosa) and dogwood stems, the results can be impressive. With the help of a few tips for the professionals, it seems that this art form is within reach of everyone so inclined.

Evergreens such as Eleagnus, Mahonia and privet will always beef up an arrangement. Stems from tall grasses provide a contrast to bulkier plant material and if you add a few well-behaved Christmas decorations you are on a seasonal home run.

You do not need to raid your public park or someone else garden for this: there are plenty of seasonal berries and stems on highways and byways that will stand a modest harvest (note: modest!).

Tasks to do this month include:

• Make sure all pruning of roses is completed. The general rule of thumb is to cut back shrub roses by a third and climbers to have straggly shoots pruned. This is to stabilise the plant and prevent root disruption in high winds.

• Renovation of climbing roses is best done between now and February by thinning and reducing stems by approximately one third and taking out dead and diseased stems. Look up the RHS site for more details.

• The birdlife will be scratching around for food: fill up your winter feeders making sure, as best as you can, that they are squirrel proof. Once the birds have located your feeders, they should return again and again.

• Be careful when you are tidying up a shed or having a bonfire: all sorts of creatures may be making their homes for the winter there.

• A stack of logs building materials (especially clay tiles and pipes) offer overwintering bugs a hotel for the cold months!

• Birches, vines and Japanese maples are best pruned at this time of year. Vines are less likely to bleed sap.

• Bare root trees and shrubs can be planted now. This is a very economical way of establishing hedges, especially as wildlife boundaries.

• With the chances of high winds growing more likely, it is sensible to ensure that all trees are properly tethered and climbers and cut back and tied in.

• Protect your outdoor taps from frost by covering them with hessian or bubble wrap: it is the expansion of the water when it turns to ice that bursts a pipe.

• A log or a football in a pond will prevent the total coverage of ice during a frozen spell. Ensure the log or football can be reached and removed!

There is rarely a day when it is wet all hours. Keep an eye on the weather forecast and make a dash for fresh air when you can. Drink it in. The best is yet to come.

A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

November: all change...!

November is a month of change. Despite the occasional blazing day that lights up the autumn colours and creates a fever of outdoor activity in lockdown, the signs are all there to see; winter is coming, and preparations are being made for the new season.

Getting the garden in order is not only satisfying but also invests in the coming spring: I have spent hours and hours planting native daffodils, quietly muttering about how many I had to do (lots) but enjoying the exercise and the promise of things to come. It is still not too late to get tulips in and even daffodils if you hurry.

What is absorbing is the range of colours now emerging: deep, blood red rose hips, crab apple reds, orange berries, magenta Fuchsia flowers - all in contrast to the screaming yellow of winter flowering jasmine. It is all there if you look carefully. As a Hampshire garden designer I get a lot of brochures coming through the post: be discerining if you are using a catalogue - best go to the most reputable suppliers.

There are still plenty of jobs to do to get the best out of your garden in the coming seasons:

• Now is the time of year to prune Japanese maples. Make sure you cut right back to the branch or stem so as not to leave a “clothes peg”!

• Raking leaves can seem to be an endless task, but it is worth it. Firstly, it allows the lawn to breathe and reduces the chance of mould developing in your lawn. Secondly, the leaves are good news in a compost heap when a layer of soil is added every 30 cm or so.

• Burning leaves is another way of processing them: the ash is good for the soil as it is high on potassium - the element that encourages fruit and flowers. Add any diseased plant material to the fire too including rose leaves that have black spot.

• Put rabbit guards on new trees to stop them gnawing at the bark if food is scarce in a harsh winter. Check tree ties too: loosen one that are too tight as this restriction can inhibit the flow of sap and therefore nutrients, around the tree.

• Prune shrub and standard roses by about a third in order that the wind does not move them around and damage the root system.

• Lift pots and containers off the ground by a few centimetres and give them “feet” of tiles or stone to avoid water logging. Pots that are fragile should have their winter wrap to prevent frost damage: bubble wrap is effective.

• Continue to mow lawns until the frosts come in, raising your blade to the maximum height as the month goes on.

• Put out bird feed such as fat balls or hanging peanut feeders.

Make the most of your exercise time by planning a walk where you know there will be colour, life and variety, such as a local nature reserve. I defy you not to be surprised by the sheer range of wildlife you will encounter: some things may have stopped but life really does go on – thankfully!

October: fire and rain

With the current levels of uncertainty, there is something very comforting about blazing autumn sunshine and the fiery colours of autumn.

A few years ago, I noticed a patch in the garden that caught the evening light in the winter months. It was the ideal spot for planting dogwoods that would light up this patch. Dogwoods (Cornus species) are not expensive and are extraordinarily robust: they can cope with heavy clay, water logging and life on chalk - provided they get some help in droughts on the latter. The varieties ‘Midwinter Fire’ and ‘Magic Flame’ should give you a clue as to what they will look like when everything around them is dark and dull! Part of being a Hampshire garden designer is keeping one’s eyes and ears open for opportunities to use colour in exciting ways.

If your garden does get waterlogged, then there are also a number of small willows that will happily thrive with wet feet and will reward you with vibrant stems. Salix alba ‘Erythroflexuosa’ and ‘Chermesina’ both fall into this category whilst there are small Acers for the more acidic, humus-rich soils that have almost fluorescent red and orange stems. If you need inspiration, then why not explore a few public gardens and arboretums? They often have the helpful policy of attaching plant names to their collections.

Jobs to do around the garden this month include:

• Lifting and dividing overgrown perennials that have lost their vigorous core.

• With the colder weather arriving, it is coming into the time when it is safe to lift and move trees and shrubs. Be careful not to allow the roots to dry out.

• Check tree ties and stakes in preparation for windy weather to come.

• Give your compost heap a good turning over. If the compost has rotted down well enough and has a high enough level of humus (the dark, nutrient rich essence that retains moisture and attracts trace elements), then autumn is a good time to spread it on the borders as a mulch.

• Rake the leaves off ornamental lawns to allow light and air to circulate and prevent patches of mildew developing.

• Aerating the lawn either with a dedicated tool or the good old method of jumping on a fork will improve drainage and so the health of the grass.

• Burn dead and diseased leaves and debris (if the neighbours are happy with this!). This basic garden hygiene will keep down the levels of blackspot and scab. Wait until November 5th if you need to!

• Keep as many leaves as possible off the pond and watch out for hungry herons who can puncture your pond liner when fishing: fake herons can be effective if you move them every month.

• Tulips can be planted out this and the next month: sometimes they are best displayed in pots and are certainly easier to weed, lift and protect like this.

How about showing off the autumn colours by picking some bright stems for a tabletop decoration? Why not collect bright leaves as part of a school project or just for the sheer fun of it? Get your camera or phone out and take some photos of some of the amazing contrasts and textures to make up some cards. Brighten up that corner of the garden that you can see from your house in winter by planting some dogwoods or small willows!

Put simply: spread the love…we need it more than ever now!

September: soft and slowing

With the days getting shorter and the summer receding, most of the tasks this month are about tidying up and making preparations for next year’s growing season:

• Evergreen hedges can be given a final trim

• With the soil still warm, now is a good time to lift and divide perennials. Faded and unsightly perennials can be cut down to the ground

• Instead of burning logs and twigs, why not create a “bug hotel” in the corner of your garden where insects can overwinter?

• This month is ideal for bulb planting - best done after some rain when the soil has been softened by the weather. Tulips are best planted next month

• Get the most out of your hanging baskets and containers by keeping up with the watering, weeding and the feeding

• Lawns can be scarified and aerated either by machine or the good old method of jumping on a fork and using a rake: you will not need gym membership this month of you choose the latter option!

• An autumn feed of your lawn can add vitality and resilience to your green patch. Ensure you use autumn not spring feed as the autumn feed is high in potassium that strengthens whilst the spring feed is high in nitrogen which can make the grass sappy

• Ponds can easily get overgrown: with the water nicely warmed by the summer, now is the time to do the job of clearing debris and splitting plants - with care if you have a butyl liner! A good rule of thumb to follow is to never have more than 50% of the water surface covered with planting

• Where a pond is susceptible to excessive leaf fall, cover with a removable net, being careful not to endanger the wildlife. When topping up soil and pots for the pond, try to make every effort not to use soil that is rich in fertiliser or pesticides: the chemicals can have a dramatic and damaging effect on the eco system of your pond.

When you are planting and dividing pond marginal plants it is a good idea not to put your hand in the damp soil to balance yourself as I did recently. The results were predictably comic!

August: some like it hot

I often visit gardens where owners have done a fantastic job of planting all sorts of species, varieties, and cultivars. They look great and are a testimony to hours of time, effort, and care.

Where gardens sometimes fall short is in the understanding of colour. For many folk, the sight of a cornucopia of blazing and clashing colours is a joy to behold: others, I have found, welcome a few thoughts on how colours might best show each other off and might bring out the best in an outdoor space.

The pioneer for a painterly colour consciousness in the garden was Gertrude Jekyll. Spanning both the 19th and 20th Centuries and having trained as an artist, she was highly influential in setting a trend for having subtle colour mixes in the borders of country houses. Out went the rows of garish annuals and in came the bountiful borders that echoed the verges of rural England through the year. As a Hampshire garden designer based in Romsey, I have been hugely influenced by her work.

Her work has special relevance at this time of year when gardens often display their “hottest” colours. Day lilies, montbretia, dahlias, sunflowers and many other plants are all screaming “look at me”! So, it can be helpful to understand that the cooler colours such as blues, purples and greys can be used to “calm” the scene down! When used in groupings, they can be even more effective. Green of course, is the great leveler: with the lowest frequency detected by the human eye, the colour green is a balm for any soul.

To understand all this better, I recommend you visit an arts and crafts garden or, more specifically, one designed by Gertrude Jekyll and take notes on what you see. They really are a joy to behold.

In the meantime, there are some very down-to-earth jobs to do in the garden:

• Ensure that your watering regime is in place – especially if you can get away for a break and you have newly planted trees and shrubs. Adding mulch to the base will help.

• Dead head herbaceous plants, not forgetting dahlias and roses: these will all usually give you repeat flowering later in the year.

• Wisteria will need their summer prune. This gives a chance for light and air to ripen sturdier growth and produce better flowers. The technique is to cut back the whippier new tendrils to about 5 x buds, to just above the bud. Do not forget that Wisterias need another chop in late winter.

• Keep ponds topped up with water, preferably “grey” water collected from roof run off. Try to avoid using a hose when everyone in the neighborhood is having a shower or washing up: they won’t thank you when the water pressure drops!

• Cut back rambling roses when they have finished flowering. Be brutal -they are!

• Hedges can be given a final trim before their growth begins to slow down in September.

It is only a few months before you can start to lift, divide, plant and re-jig your borders. Autumn is the best time of year to do this as the soil is still warm and the rains are expected: plants establish themselves better in autumn than in spring. So why not get some colouring pencils and sketch out the colour combinations you would like to see put in place?

There you are: you can now call yourself a garden designer!

July: reclaiming paradise

Despite the easing of lock down restrictions, far more attention is being given to gardens these days. According to The Sunday Times, enquires for landscape gardeners are up by 200%.

Be it a balcony, a terrace, a doorstep or a conventional garden, there is something primal about creating order, beauty, and a sheltered space in our immediate surroundings. It seems to satisfy some deep instinct in us, producing a sense of well-being: yes, despite the madness of the world, there is a place both inside and outside of us that is harmonious, peaceful and somewhere that we might even call “good”.

No wonder there are so many legends, myths, and stories about the garden.

So, as you ponder this not-very-new observation, there are a number of tasks to undertake this month which will hopefully nudge you towards paradise rather A&E with a bad back:

• As the weather becomes drier and hotter, the blades of your lawn mower can be raised. Avoid cutting your lawn too hard as it will not be doing it any favours if a drought sets in.

• Many tall herbaceous plants will be coming into their own now (Delphinium, Echinops, Eupatorium), and if they are not in large clumps, they will probably need staking. I prefer using sticks rather than canes as they are more informal and the side twigs act as a good support system.

• Philadelphus and Weigela can be pruned after they have flowered. Likewise, deciduous magnolias can be shaped to create the desired effect.

• Pond weed is likely to start blooming when the water temperature rises. This can be more pronounced if rich soil with high levels of nutrients is leeching nitrogen into the water. A bale of straw will help neutralize this but there is no substitute for carefully raking out pond weed and planting suitable pond plants in extremely poor soil.

• Do not be afraid to experiment by running water from your downpipes into your pond: fix a temporary system that can be adjusted or removed in the winter months. Plastic, flexible, transparent “piping” can be bought from builders’ merchants and fixed using strong tape.

• As above, do not be afraid to experiment with harvesting rainwater for the traditionally dry months of July and August. Plants that have been put in over the past year will need particular attention as they will have been used to the near perfect conditions of a nursery.

If you have the time, stand back and look at the shapes, colours and patterns that are emerging in your garden. Make a note of where these could be improved and worked on in the autumn and winter months to. You may not think you patch is worth trumpeting about, but if it does you good and gives you pleasure – then it is good!

June: bloomin' marvelous

It feels as if everything in the garden is coming to a crescendo this month. With the longest day of the year coming up, nature looks to be coming up to full stretch: even with the extended periods without rain, the borders are filling out and slowly showing their full glory.

The beauty of having borders that are brimming over with plants is that unwanted plants (weeds!) have a hard job getting a foot hold. Spreading Geraniums are particularly good at creating attractive ground cover now whilst the Brunnera and Pulmonaria species do the job very well early in the season. They all make excellent green layers around the base of taller, showy plants such as Delphiniums.

Keeping an eye on the plants that are behaving like thugs is important too: be ruthless about taking species that are dominating others at their expense and don’t be afraid to trim shrubs that are getting too big for their spot. I have got a great second flush of colour from a Photinia after cutting it back hard. Getting away from my laptop and being a Hampshire garden designer to do practical work is a great boost - especially if there are knotty techincal problems to overcome!

So, to make the best of the weather, get fit and to get away from the ever-present “tinternet”, the following tasks can be undertaken:

• Cut the grass where the spring bulbs have been growing as the bulbs will have rejuvenated through their green stems.

• Cut back spring flowering shrubs: these include Deutzia, Syringa (lilac), Weigela and Kolkwitzia. Do the same with deciduous Magnolia if it needed.

• Evergreens such as Viburnum tinus and Choisya can also be cut and shaped once they have flowered.

• Roses can be deadheaded to encourage repeat flowering. Do this by cutting to just above the first leaf below the faded bloom.

• Clip box, privet and Loincera hedges remembering to make the sides slightly inward sloping to allow the sunlight to the base of the hedge and to reduce the chance of it splitting open in adverse conditions.

• Although we have rain recently, the reservoirs are at a low level. Be “water aware”, as the phrase goes. Using bath and shower water to look after pots and using a watering can rather than a hose will direct this precious resource in an effective way.

• Divide Hosta as they come into growth and fill out any gaps in the borders with bedding.

On that last point, I recently went to a garden centre and was saddened at how few people were there. The owner, however, was looking very chipper and relaxed: “I’m sorry your customers are not filling this place as they normally do”. He smiled and replied, “Oh don’t worry, we sold out of everything seasonal ages ago”. No wonder he was so cheery.

Good to see gardening going up the domestic agenda again!

May: green for "go"

In a recent video link conversation with friends, there was a common theme: the spring, the greenery, the birdsong and the jobs in the garden are all helping to keep our spirits up.

I am lucky enough to be surrounded by greenery and I count my blessings every day. The government guidelines that allow for folk to get out and take huge gulps of fresh air are fantastic, especially as it is considerably cleaner than it was a few months ago.

So, if you are lucky enough to be able to get out into the garden (and why not drop some flowers round to someone who can’t get out?), there is plenty to do as nature bursts into life:

• Spring flowering shrubs can be pruned once the flowers are over. These shrubs include Choisya, Ribes and Chaenomoles.

• Spirea ‘Arguta’ and Kerria can have one stem in three removed and the other stems shortened to a suitable side shoot.

• Viburnum tinus, Senecio, Ligustrum and other similar evergreens can be trimmed this month.

• Clematis montana is a vigorous climber that often needs to be kept in check: you can be pretty brutal with this climber.

• Cut back Pyracantha to the desired size but remember that you may have to wait a couple of years for the berries to appear in winter if you cut them too hard.

• Climbing and rambling roses will produce more flowers if you are able to tie the side shoots as close to the horizontal plane as possible: this restricts the flow of sap.

• Lawns can be fed, and it is not too late to add fertiliser to plants, especially new or struggling ones that may need additional strength.

• Try to stay on top of the weeds by using a hoe or laying matting and mulch.

• Be careful not to over-water new plants in gardens with heavy, clayey soils: they will wilt and die as air cannot get to the roots.

• Herbaceous plants can still be divided and re-allocated to different areas of the garden.

• “Cometh the Spring, cometh the slug”: I have my cheap cider and shallow glass yogurt pots at the ready to drown the critters. You may want to try eggshells, grit, copper bands or organic pellets. Avoid pellets that introduce poisons into the food chain.

As in every year, late hedge cutting will disturb any nesting wildlife. The birds around here are certainly more in evidence than previous years: now is a great time to allow them to establish themselves again.

It is, however, hard to write too lovingly about all of nature’s creatures when you have sown a lawn only for it to be decimated by pigeons(!). I have now devised a method of keeping them off by using netting, foil and a kite and no longer resort to charging around after pigeons like a madman. In truth, I quite miss the exercise, shouting at something and the chance to get away from my desk.

We all need a little project in these strangest of times: there is always the garage and shed to clear out…

April: natural goodness

In these strange and unsettling times, I have a simple suggestion. It will take about a minute and I would be very surprised if it didn’t change your perspective. Just a teeny bit anyway.

Find a leaf, a blossom or some cut flowers and then stop. Yes, that is it. Stop and stare. Try to stop and stare for about a minute. This will probably be harder than you think, but give it a go.

What patterns do you notice? What colours stand out more than others? What emotions are evoked? Try not to react to the monkeys in your head as they chatter away, telling you of your pressing schedule for the day.

The more one looks at the natural world, the more it becomes evident just how diverse, extraordinary and beautiful it really is. That is partly why I became a Garden Designer in Hampshire. The truth is, we rarely make enough time to experience this. Sir David Attenborough once said at a house of commons select committee: “We depend on our connection to nature for our very sanity”.

Write down your thoughts, and, as an astronaut advised on his return from outer space (a place not to be confused with the end of the queues at supermarkets), why not keep a diary of your observations and your responses over the next months? Just an idea.

If you are fortunate enough to be able to get out into a garden this month, there are a number of jobs to be getting on with: it is the ideal time to finish those tasks that you have been meaning to complete for years:

• Lawn repairs: now the frosts are receding, seed can be bought online and sown on patches that have become worn. Remember to prepare the ground by scraping off any unwanted weeds or worn grass and giving the area a good rake over. Add a sprinkling of compost. Keep hungry birds away by hanging up old CD’s, tinfoil or playing Die Hard movies very loudly.

• Pond plants: whilst ponds can be Heaven, they also be Hell to look after. Now is the time to get at the water lilies and marginal plants, to divide them into smaller clumps in order to them choking the life out of a pond.

• Wildlife: if you are in the mood for clearing, cutting and composting, please be aware that this is the time of year when much of the local wildlife will be making their nesting homes. Avoid hedge cutting and be attentive when you are tidying up shelter spots. You can help hedgehogs move around from garden to garden by making small gaps at the base of fences.

• Compost: add compost or well-rotted manure to borders and around the bases of trees and shrubs: this will help keep the moisture in, the weeds off and give a slow release of nutrients.

• Plant autumn flowering bulbs and corms: why not invest in a bit of summer joy? Order and plant Gladiolus (Gladioli), Eucomis (pineapple flower), and Galtonia canadensis ( summer hyacinth). They will really add some dramatic colour and shape to your borders.

I have a long list of DIY jobs to finish over the coming months. As sure as eggs is eggs, unless I get my ‘inspiration time’, there is no way I am going to get any of them started, let alone finished.

I guess that means some more staring and dream time. Remind me; what was it that I was complaining about a few moments ago?