The garden usually looks great in winter. It’s the hedges and topiary that do it. Usually.
This year we’ve been sadly short of garden help and if anything we needed extra help, what with the usual jobs, and then dealing with snow damage
and totally destroying and remaking one garden. (more of that another time) So we haven’t had the perennials in various parts of the garden strimmed down in November as we usually would.
Today I had had enough of looking at the miserable half squashed, half dead, damp and dank Front Garden. Ever imagined having one of those wonderful frosty gardens which stand all winter for the birds to peck at ? Dream on. Not in the UK.
This looks prettier than it was, really.
I do know that as the foliage of perennials dries out, which it does even in a wet winter, it becomes possible to squash it down by tramping on it, and I may do that in the spring in less conspicuous parts of the garden. I have done that in the past – and should you try it you’ll find it’s quite fun, rather in the spirit of jumping on crisp autumn leaves. But beware of doing it with grass stems on slopes – they turn into ski slopes, being very smooth.
Anyway, at this time of year and after snow they were not yet really dried out, so here’s the trick – I went out with my chopper.
This is a very useful tool – and not called a chopper. It’s a zappa.
Useful for breaking up those clods of earth that don’t break down in the frost as promised by lying garden writers. Or bashing the soil off the rootball of something you’ve dug up and want to dispose of. That sort of thing. And for chopping down half deaf foliage. Recommended. (O – whoops! Should I say – neither I nor the relevant company had any commercial interest in this!! Looks like advertising maybe, but it’s not).
So I went out and started chopping.
And I’m pleased and amazed to say that I had not been at it for very long when a wonderful helper appeared, suggested a strimmer might be better and — took over!
Honestly, I was not being manipulative, going out with my chopper. But – hey – miracle tool, that Zappa???
He’s not a fire breathing dragon. It was just very cold…
So the job is done and the beds all mulched for the spring. I can look at it all with pleasure now.
Thanks, Charles.
Though not all perennials need this. This is the alchemilla and geranium bed right now. Unchopped border behind though…
I know how you feel about the anticipated Perennial Structure that we hope will remain after the last autumn flowering. I’m so optimistic that the autumn and winter will stay dry enough for it still to look good, no chance! Such a soggy mess. I also realised that there were delights being hidden, the snowdrops were being drowned out by a rumbustious ground cover and the Hellebores were hiding their lights under bushels. So last week, before it rained again, I dragged out all the slimy dead leaves, the creating deadnettle and the dead stems that had bent and drooped. Now I at least can see the evidence of new growth, sadly I don’t have enough mulch to spread to get it to look smart but next year there will be now that I have some mega sized compost bins
At least we don’t need any compost bins! (well, we do have some but only for random garden rubbish and dead cut flowers). We leave it where it falls. One more reason it should have been done sooner though – I think the snowdrops got decapitated….
I did a version of the Veddw Strim last year and again this year. I’ve still shredded the dead stuff rather than stomp on it but I’ve chucked it straight back on the borders. It looks good and makes a lovely friable top layer. The snowdrops and iris reticulata show up beautifully against it. The grasses have been surprising this year; the tough ones like miscanthus collapsed in the snow but the borderline pennisetum orientale have bounced back again and again.
I’m interested that you’re prepared to take it all off and shred it. That would be unthinkable here – at least to someone looking for the easy way, like me. But you have the same result – a great mulch. Interesting about your pennisetum. We have collapsed miscanthus, which is a great loss to the winter garden. The frozen snow we had was horribly damaging.
I’m interested that you’re prepared to take it all off and shred it. That would be unthinkable here – at least to someone looking for the easy way, like me. But you have the same result – a great mulch. Interesting about your pennisetum. We have collapsed miscanthus, which is a great loss to the winter garden. The frozen snow we had was horribly damaging.
trying not to snigger about Charles and his big chopper…when will I ever grow up?
I hope not!
First of all, to be Frank, we don’t have the Zappa…. but that chopper sure looks like a wonderful tool! Secondly, the other thing we don’t have here in the States (colonies) is a Fire-Breathing Welsh Dragon like you have there at Veddw! Awesome, Anne!! What we do have is cold…and frozen ground. Although I was able to dig up Grace’s Cannas before the ground froze solid and killed them off… WHEW!
It’s very hard on you all,not having the enormously useful Fire-Breathing Welsh Dragon. Don’t know how you manage. Just think how useful he would be,warming your soil up and setting your house on fire…… Xxxx