Adam's Garden

When gardening with limited space it is always advantageous to select plants that give good value for as many seasons of the year as possible. This principle applies to all gardens but obviously more so for smaller ones. One drawback with limiting this discussion to restricted area is that there are numerous large plants that also give us the sought after benefits; so on second thoughts it may be wise to expand the scope to specimens of any dimension that will prove of use to us. When constructing a mental garden my mind's eye always drifts upwards first of all, searching for hills and trees, before sweeping across the space in the middle ground occupied by fences, climbers and shrubs, before finally scanning the ground for bedding and crawlers.

On first looking skywards I see a Betula utilis - a birch with snow white bark gleaming in the winter sun and a delicate tracery of fine branches moving gently in the cold breeze. In spring this tree's simple flowers draw the eye and as summer progresses the small but attractive foliage provides a pleasant contrast to the larger leaves of surrounding deciduous trees. One drawback is the tendency for algae to build up on the trunk during mild damp spells in the winter but it is possible bring back the pure white with a mild fungicide solution and scrubbing brush.

My mind's eye also alights on a Eucalyptus with smooth bark. Impressively statuesque, this tree keeps its leaves during the winter. Unlike most winter greenery these leaves are not needles and do not look out of place during the summer alongside broadleaf trees. It is wise to position it among deciduous trees because it will emerge in summer, as if from the shadows, looking resplendent and healthy. Late in the year, with dramatic effect, it sheds its bark, revealing fresh new growth. A bonus is the juvenile foliage, often used in flower arranging. However, to harvest this young growth it is necessary to coppice the tree - cut it to the ground - to enable the new shoots to produce the distinctive young leaves so it is recommended that more than one specimen is grown.

It may seem an odd choice but the native Alder is another tree I regard as well worth a slot in an all-year garden. The bare winter branches have a character of their own, often twisting, dark, and carrying the husks of the summer fruit that look almost like miniature fir cones. In spring the lamb's tail flowers hang down and when brushed release the finest of pollen. Finally, in summer, the toothed foliage, thick and dark, provides a perfect backdrop for paler and flowering plants. A small country river lined with alders and goats beard is one effect that can be replicated in a larger garden and is almost unbeatable in its rustic serenity.

Moving down now, into that part of the garden which is neither up high or down low, we come across a Fatsia hedera. If kept out of cold wind this shrub will keep its large shiny cheese plant-like leaves all year round and in late summer produce pale cream upright flower panicles with orb shaped structures. Like the Alder this plant, whilst dramatic in its own right, presents a perfect foil to almost any other lighter hued plant. The annual mallow Lavatera 'Mont Blanc' looks good with it as does the white Astilbe 'Irrlicht' with its contrast of white flower panicles and dark foliage.

Climbers also occupy this in-between part of the garden but it is difficult to come up with one that provides something really attractive year round. Roses are unparalleled in the summer and whist they are evergreen I would hardly call the foliage stunning, although close up it does look quite nice. Rose leaves look tasty when used as a mould for chocolate leaves but the diminutive size counts against them in the garden. Moss roses are attractive for the furry stems but again I would still discount them as year round marvels. Honeysuckle is superb in spring with numerous varieties giving off exquisite scent and there are some with attractive leaves, and the berries are autumnal attractions, but once again during winter time the sinuous stems are rather drab. The more I think about it the harder I find it to come up with a climber that has genuine winter appeal to complement that of the summer except ivy. The numerous variegated forms of ivy now available can be used to cover fences and walls, as well as for ground cover. I have an old concrete pillar sundial, about chest high, that has the most magnificent ivy Hedera helix 'Eva' inching up it. One project that I have put down for a rainy day is to create a wall of different ivies for ornamental effect. In theory a clever garden artist could actually create a picture using the different forms but maybe that would be taking things a just bit too far!

There are many other plants worthy of a mention for that part of the garden that is neither ground nor sky, like dogwoods with ornamental bark, and Acer palmatum - the Japanese maple - which has many forms with good bark, or Rosemary which is common but always there with evergreen needle foliage nice to pinch and smell and powder blue flowers for much of the year. What about Hebe and Veronica? The list could be endless but I now direct my gaze to the ground.

Pieris is the ideal plant for this category. There is a particularly attractive form, the name of which escapes me, that is prostrate. It could easily be grown for the foliage alone, shiny and delicate, but the early mini bell white and pink flowers add a kind of science fiction attraction to the plant. Many hellebores are attractive throughout the year but my favourite is Helleborus argutifolius with its large clusters of bowl shaped cream flowers and finely toothed elliptic leaves. The flowers appear at a most welcome time - winter - and last forever. The leaves are evergreen and during the summer look attractive yet do not distract the eye from the more ambitious plants around it.

Irises are superb because one form or another will be in sublime flower most of the year and the leaves never look out of place. Iris foetidissima, the stinking Iris, even produces bright berries in autumn. One effective planting that can be done is in front of a large flax (Phormium). The large leaves of the flax are mirrored by the smaller ones of the Irises. The flax itself is actually quite a good all year plant but really comes into its own when the imposing flower spikes appear in summer, maintaining a presence well after finishing - the woody dead stems remaining long into the winter.

The list could go on forever but the most important thing is to chose personal favourites. One person's meat is another's poison. Enjoy your gardening and I will be back next month with more on gardening in the 21st century.

You can find more articles in the archive under Soiled Hands.

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