![]() ![]() Leave them in a heap for hibernating hedgehogs, if you're lucky enough to have them. If you've done a bit of pruning or have logs for the woodpile, great. Don't go mad sweeping up leaves and tidying the garden. ![]() Leave it in the pot, well watered throughout the year, and you won't find yourself with a 40ft tree outside your back door in ten years time but will be ready when christmas comes round again. Your tree will thank you for it and you'll be happy as you won't have to clear up thousands of pine needles. If you must have a real tree, please buy one with roots, plant it properly in a deep pot of soil with good drainage, by all means decorate it but put it outside where you can see it. I absolutely hate to see all those sad, brown, rootless trees dumped after christmas. If you've thought, however briefly, about jollying up your garden for the forthcoming holidays, here's a few things to inspire or be aware of: So now I'll be crafting in the evenings in the week ahead, making decorations from my nature finds that will find their way into the garden. Bizarrely, I couldn't find any pine cones, despite large numbers of pine trees up at Capel but I did find plenty of acorns and their cups which were added to my goody bag (inspired by the acorn babies in the collage below). As I picked them up and rolled them into a circle to fit my bag, it occurred to me that they're so fine and pliable, they would be perfect as a base for a door or tree wreath. Walking through the woods, I spied a sheath of branch tips lying on the ground they look like silver birch and I presume a child had gathered them up while walking and then been told to leave them behind. I love that this photo has the feel of a Rob Ryan print (in my humble opinion!) Nature offers plenty of inspiration if you look around and that's what I went in search of. For me, colours should harmonise with nature: think wood, robins, nuts and cones, stones, grey skies, white snow and icicles. I love the simplicity of cinnamon sticks and dried orange peel tied onto a swag with a bit of ribbon. (Oh, be still my beating heart!) You've only got one week to enter as the deadline is next Sunday, 22nd, (take a photo of your decorated garden, 'like' their FB page, upload your photo) it's worth a shot as, so far, there's only a few entries.Īlthough bright sparkly lights are good for jollying things up on a commercial level, I prefer something altogether more subtle in my own home - and that also extends to the garden. Personally, I've fallen in love with a gorgeous dusky rose coloured delphinium that I'm coveting for my flower patch next year, middle bottom of this link. I'm giving the heads up on this one as the prize is £100 to spend in their online shop and let's face it, who wouldn't want to win that! Their plug plants were well reviewed by Helen over at Patient Gardener this year and I'm always happier with a personal recommendation. Those lovely people over at Plant Me Now have provided the kickstart to think about extending seasonal decorations into the garden with their Christmas competition on Facebook. Is it really only 10 days until Christmas? The veg patch garden is still being treated to resolutely mild weather so I'm able to potter around getting ready for next year but I can't ignore the festive lights in trees along local avenues or the buzz of people preparing for christmas. Pink Sorbus berries where they'd fallen onto ivy - I'll use these plus more in a wreath. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |