Winter Gardens

Ever thought that the garden is a little untidy at this time of the year? Well good news because Christmas is a great time of the year to forget about the garden, and why not? No more picking up wet leaves, pruning back plants or in some cases just the sheer drudgery of gardening – it isn’t to everyone’s taste.

Put away the mower at the first signs of the garden shutting-down for winter and dare to venture back out again when the daffodils are looking promising. For some it sounds like a good plan!

Malham winter

Malhamdale in Winter

Now this may all sound anti-gardening, but whatever pleasure your garden gives to you or others is fantastic and even overgrown jungles have their own charm when green and leafy and flowering themselves mad through the year who is to complain?

Gardening is though a twelve-month frenzy of activity – for the professional gardeners anyway. And if the thought of winter tidying or pruning in the rain fills you with dread then I wouldn’t worry, gardeners are always able to bring the best out of their gardens come the spring. I’m always asked about garden maintenance, when to do what and how. Surely there’s some mysterious rule about pruning, weeding, mulching, mowing and an endless list of chores?

Well gardens are always evolving, changing, creating different shady areas as they grow or making micro climates for different plants and the maintenance of a garden always revolves around what the garden is doing. There’s no mystery it’s just a case of working with the garden and creating what you want. Fancy some summer bedding by the patio, or a new apple tree at the end of the lawn? Then why not, it’s your garden and will give endless pleasure as it grows and changes.

And the maintenance, well a little pruning here and there to keep things in check or a major pruning session can soon fetch a garden back in line and again alter the garden and how it looks. And for anyone to say that the gardens should be immaculate and manicured is missing the point.

The pleasure these gardens whether immaculate or not that have given through the year with flowers and foliage and and the architectural nature of these un-pruned borders is something that has taken months to create. So let me back out into the garden to potter about and see what the garden has in store for the next few months and remember at least all the gardens look the same when covered with snow!
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