If like me you are recovering from Christmas with the outlaws, the credit crunch, and the fact that your kids reports are all underwater (below c level) what could be more therapeutic than planning things for next year in the coming year.
If you're a real couch potato just looking out of the window can give you that inspiration for next season. Start with your garden structure. Is it lush, berried and scrummy, or can you see the neighbours washing line? No bare fences please, we want to see variegated hollies, Sarcococca and Helle
ores complementing the climbing winter clematis Almandii for foliage and flower. That irritating neighbours window can be hidden with an evergreen tree such Quercus ilex (evergreen oak) or softened with the Himalayan Birch Betula jacqmontii.
If you are lucky enough to have a house full of kids, think out of the box about what they want to keep them interested outside. A swing or a slide would be the predictable easy option, while a living woven willow structure becomes Gollom's cave, a crater on the moon and somewhere to get away from Mum and Dad. Try Salix vitellina easily woven into a den, crocodile or animal of your choice.
Grow your own is all the rage, and it's fun to sit down on mass and design your own vegetable garden. Spuds are easy, and if you have sandy soil, root vegetables are a must. Be trendy, experiment with the huge selection of Mediterranean vegetables that come to your table fresh colourful and within ten yards of your back door.
It seems an awful long time off but lose yourself in your colour schemes. Think chocolate with Huchera 'Chocolate Ruffles' while the wonderfully fiery Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff' burns brightly alongside the ever so hot Crocosmia masoniorum. And if that doesn't warm you up go back to the mulled wine! A prosperous New Year from Tony Richards.
About the Author:Tony Richards, Graduate Landscapes Ltd. http://www.graduatelandscapes.co.uk Tony is the owner of Graduate Landscapes, a garden design company based in Liphook, Hampshire, UK. He has over 15 years experience in garden design and maintenance and is passionate about creating and maintaining beautiful outdoor spaces
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