The Link Winter 2019/2020 The Link Dec-Jan 2020 v3 | Page 19

berry at the centre that changes from white through to blue. If you love plants that are exotic and unique you will love this one. If you do not have room for full sized shrubs you can always have a few smaller berried plants that are suitable for container gardening. Most garden centres now stock a range of interesting winter plants; in particular I like Gaultheria procumbens (Wintergreen) and Gaultheria macronata ‘Lilacina’. These are low growing plants that don’t seem to get much above 6 inches in height and they will retain their berries for long periods of time. They can be planted on their own or with other plants such as pansies, red and white cyclamen and dwarf conifers for a very festive pot. Of course of all the berries at this time of year, where would we be without the holly and the mistletoe. Not only are they important for the festivities, but they are decorative in their own right. In a large garden holly trees come into their own at this time of year; they are one of our few native ever green trees. Ilex aquifolium ‘Handsworth New Silver’ is a lovely variety of variegated holly. If you have an old orchard try to leave some of the mistletoe in the trees. There is a balance to be made here, as mistletoe is a hemiparasite (meaning it uses the host plant for support, but also takes some of its nutrients and water from the tree). It is also a surprisingly heavy plant. Some mistletoe in a tree is fine. A lot however, can increase the amount of ‘wind sail’ and can potentially add to the effects of the wind on already weakened branches and trees. In the past over picking and fastidious removal put The Link this plant into serious decline, but it has recovered in recent years. It is an important food source for birds such as the Mistle Thrush, and a very interesting plant in its own right, so if harvesting for the winter festivities be sure to leave some to be enjoyed next year. It is very slow growing and can take more than four years for a mistletoe plant to get going. If you wish to increase your population of mistletoe plants you can do this by gathering ripe berries in March and April and placing the seeds from the berries into the crevices of a branch on an appropriate tree species, e.g. apple, lime or hawthorn. Hopefully, you will have a garden filled with beautiful frost covered winter berries and mistletoe for many years to come. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. For anyone interested in Foliation looking at any aspects of your garden from hard to soft landscaping, small to big projects please contact me on the numbers below: Jonathan Bishop, Foliation Ltd 44 Lakeside, Newent, Gloucestershire GL18 1SZ Office Telephone & Fax: [phone] email [email protected] www.foliation.co.uk Follow me on Twitter @JonBishop15 19