|
|
by Sue Goetz, CPH
The Creative Gardener / www.thecreativegardener.com
As the holidays approach and it is time to decorate for the festivities; go out in the garden for inspiration. Look for dried seed pods, branches jeweled with berries, leftover flower heads and interesting evergreen leaf color and shapes. This different way of looking at the winter garden can inspire architectural holiday arrangements with twisting, unique branches, traditional and colorful berries as well as classic fragrant evergreens. Decorate outdoors with a creative eye for what remains in the garden this time of year. Outdoor window boxes, containers and urns that have lost their season of color can be freshened and decorated for the holidays. No need for them to remain bare over the winter. Begin by planting spring flowering bulbs deep in containers. After planting, finish the bare soil on top as if arranging a vase of cut flowers. Arrange fresh cut holly branches, contorted filbert stems and fir branches by poking them in the soil a few inches into the container. Add weatherproof glass bulbs, ornaments and pine cones for a decorative touch. The arrangement will stay fresh looking for weeks in the cool, wet weather. As the soil warms in the spring, remove the faded branches as the bulbs emerge for fresh pops of spring.
FAVORITE PLANTS FOR CUTTING:
- For the golden touch: Aucuba "Mr. Goldstrike", Euonymus japonicus "Silver Queen", Variegated English Holly, and Golden Elaeagnus.
- Fragrance: Rosemary, Daphne odora, Viburnum x bodnantense, Balsam Fir and cedars.
- Colorful twigs: Red and yellow twig dogwoods (Cornus stolonifera), Golden curls willow.
- Evergreens: Camellias, Western Red Cedar, Evergreen Huckleberry, Ferns, Pieris, Rosemary, Salal, Mahonia ‘Charity", Boxwood and Firs.
- Berries: Barberry, Beautyberry, English Holly, Rose hips, Snowberry, cranberry viburnum and Skimmia.
- Interesting architectural branches: Witch Hazel, Contorted Filbert, Curly Willow
- Seed and floral heads: Alliums, Hydrangeas, Coneflower, Rudbeckia, Nigella, Poppies, Honesty plant (Lunaria) and ornamental grasses like Miscanthus and Fountain Grass (Pennisetum).
TIPS FOR CUTTING AND HARVESTING:
-Use sharp pruners. Never pull or snap off as it may damage plants.
-Keep from damaging cut branches by using large buckets to harvest into.
-Harvest seed and floral heads after a few days of dry weather.
-Cut evergreens and branches on rainy day to insure they are filled with moisture.
PRUNING TIPS:
-Never cut shrubs or trees in a way that may alter their natural growing habit. Avoid short cuts at the top of woody ornamentals. Find selective long branches to cut closer to the base around the outer edges of plants or cutting that will be trimmed as a part of maintaining them.
-Learn what plants bloom on new growth (like Beautyberry) they can usually be cut without affecting next seasons’ bloom.
-As a rule of thumb, never cut more than one-third of leafy evergreen plants like Camellias or Pieris.
-Conifers and needled branches are chosen very selectively. Cut small branches where you will naturally want to thin or limb up. Never cut into the woody parts, conifers as they do not usually recover this growth.
Sue Goetz CPH, is a garden designer, speaker and writer from Gig Harbor. Visit www.thecreativegardener.com or contact by email to info@thecreativegardener.com.
11/09 |
