As the new year dawns, there are magical moments to enjoy outdoors.
Winter Wonderland
Notice the effect of frost, ice and snow on the garden. Architectural forms are dramatic during winter, but even the smallest leaf can amaze you when you focus on the detail. If you’re lucky enough to catch a hoar frost, formed when water in the air turns into feathery ice crystals on surfaces such as branches and petals, there’s nothing more beautiful.
Fabulous Flowers
Clematis ‘Wisley Cream’, C. ‘Jingle Bells’, C. ‘Freckles’ are climbers in bloom this month. Mahonia, giant architectural evergreens, produce spikes of bright-yellow, scented flowers which look like rays of sunshine. They are loved by early bees. Witch hazel (Hamamelis) is not to be missed. Spidery, bright flowers adorn the bare twigs, their sweet smell a bonus. Hellebores have gently bowed heads of subtle beauty. Snowdrops, with nodding white blooms from January through to March, are the first bulbs to appear in the garden.
Scents For The Senses
One of the best scents comes from Daphne ‘Jacqueline Postill’. Grow it near your garden path and you will look forward to coming home. Sarcococca confusa, the sweet box, is a winter gem that you will smell before you find. The white flowers are small and insignificant, the scent anything but. Chimonanthus, also known as wintersweet, has small yellow flowers that smell divine in January. Winter honeysuckle, Lonicera ‘Winter Beauty’ has a wonderful, uplifting lemony scent.
Stunning Stems
Arguably as good as blooms are the stems of trees and shrubs in winter. The Tibetan cherry, Prunus serrulata, has rich mahogany bark. It looks magnificent against a dark, evergreen backdrop, where it appears to glow like a warm fire. Betula utilis, the white-stemmed birch, stands out from a distance, almost as if lit from within. The bark peels in papery curls, to reveal fresh whiteness beneath. Both Cornus (dogwood) and some types of Salix (willow) are grown specifically for winter stems of red, orange, yellow and lime green (depending on the variety). They need to be pruned early in the season and then they set the borders alight.
Sounds Of The Outside
Many ornamental grasses and bamboo not only move in the wind but give you musical percussion too. Listen to the sounds you hear outdoors. There are trees which provide excellent psithurism (yes, that’s the word to describe the wind whispering through trees and leaves), including some of the taller pines.
The Joy Of Work
If January feels like a drag, get outside and achieve something! Winter pruning is a warming task (January is a great month for rejuvenating apple trees). Alternatively, clean the patio and paths or feed the birds. Then gather some outdoor delights for a vase indoors. Your twigs, foliage and flowers will give you a connection to the natural world.
