Publications

The Garden
December 2003

Deck the boughs

Alexandra Baulkwill enthuses about the dramatic effects it is possible to create in winter with the imaginative use of stems, seedheads and glitter

Images Tim Sandall

Mid-winter, and parts of a garden can indeed be bleak, lacking interest and focal points that excite and inspire or combine significant colour and texture.

To give such areas a lift, gardeners from RHS Garden Hyde Hall and members of The Garden Editorial team decided to try their hand at creating winter sculptures.

With no rules to hinder creative thinking, materials were taken from plants that were - or had been - growing in the garden. Seedheads, flowerheads, bark, berries and stems were collected and put together to provide sculptures that had a life span from as little as three days up to three months.

Some designs used existing plants as a base in which other materials could be placed, while others were more ephemeral, built from scratch using a variety of components.

A few of the organic materials, such as teasel and agapanthus seedheads, received a new lease of life with a covering of glitter and gold or silver spray paint, which added to their impact. Positioned where the soft winter light caught the metallic finish, these sculptures glowed in the early morning and again at dusk, readily catching the eye.

Chosen few

Golden stems of Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’ form a sanctuary for a favoured clump of Helleborus x hybridus. The cornus stems, cut from a stand elsewhere in the garden, have been pushed into the ground to form an enclosed space to frame and draw attention to one particular clump of hellebore. Standing at the base of an old apple tree, the deep yellow stems are drawn up into the canopy. A second bundle of cornus stems has been added to achieve this and extend the movement of the sculpture into the branches above.

Both salix and cornus species, with long wands of growth, in a range of colours, can be utilised. Try violet stems of Salix daphnoides ‘Continental Purple’, rusty stems of S. alba subsp. vitellina ‘Britzensis’ or bright red stems of Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’ to achieve different effects.

Eye spy

In a raised woodland border at RHS Garden Hyde Hall, a loose ‘lens’ of Cornus alba ‘Kesselringii’ seems to magnify the flowers of Helleborus argutifolius. Highlighting this plant in a whole bed of snowdrops, hellebores and other winter-flowering plants invites the viewer to take time to inspect the individual blooms, as well as the whole composition.

Short life

In a pool of water, camellia flowers, freshly fallen from the plant, are constrained by a boom of pampas grass stems bound together with raffia to create a raft. This design may only last for three or four days, but its transitory nature is part of the charm. In late winter and spring, rhododendron flowers may also look attractive.

Safe and sound

A wigwam of cornus stems, tied at the top with raffia and punched into the ground, forms a protective shelter for narcissus bulbs growing beneath. The relatively short period of interest that one clump of bulbs affords perfectly fits the idea of winter sculptures with a limited life span.

Metallic partners

Galtonia seedheads are sprayed gold to lift and complement the bronzed bergenia leaves beneath (top). Dried seed-heads are a great source of material for garden art; try honesty, agapanthus, hydrangea and echinops. If the flower buds of globe artichokes are left to mature, the thistle-like flowers are ideal for use in garden art schemes or can be picked in autumn for drying. If you leave seedheads on plants as a winter food source for wildlife, select only a few stems of a particular plant for spraying. Here (below), teasels coated with silver make a striking composition standing firm against a mesh of black strap-like leaves of Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’.

Colourful uprights

Pencil-thin, short sections of black Cornus alba ‘Kesselringii’ and red C. alba ‘Elegantissima’ form a strong contrast against the pure white nodding heads of snowdrops. The idea of a stylish limited colour range in this small-scale installation could be extended to larger drifts, making striking swathes or ribbons of colour. Other suitable cornus cultivars include gold, orange and red-stemmed C. sanguinea ‘Winter Beauty’ and C. sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’.

Ideal framework

Strong, structural forms of shrubs provide the perfect framework for imaginative embellishment of the winter garden. An overgrown specimen of Viburnum rhytidophyllum is no exception, with long bare lower stems making an ideal foil for a series of interlacing pieces of cornus. The contrast of smooth cornus gives a fresh look to the lichen-covered branches of the viburnum.

Chains of gold

With a delightful fragrance that can be carried on the air, the pink-flushed flower buds of Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’ are highlighted by glittering gold wire that binds branches together. This is a useful technique for drawing attention to other less-conspicuous, scented plants such as Lonicera x purpusii.

Tactile tower

A spear of bark and berries driven into the ground makes a feature of different garden components. Bark of Betula utilis var. jacquemontii was removed with care to prevent damage to the birch and skewered onto a cornus stem, while vibrant orange-red berries of Iris foetidissima add a fiery touch to its base. Berries and fruits of sorbus, crab apple and pyracantha could also be used.

Tips for garden art

• Keep your mind open to using almost any material available in the garden.
• Be adventurous - think both small and large scale.
• Consider from where sculptures will be viewed and think how winter light can be used to their best advantage.
• Make a feature of colourful, textural or scented plants.
• Enhance seemingly dull plants by using them as a base on which to build sculptures.
• Look for plants with unusual stem shapes such as the winged growth of Euonymus alatus or twisted stems of both Salix babylonica var. pekinensis ‘Tortuosa’ and Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’ to create drama.
• Choose pliable stems such as willow and cornus to weave or bend into interesting shapes.
• Use dried seedheads from teasels, poppies, honesty and alliums.
• Breathe new life into organic materials with spray paints from craft suppliers.
• When cutting material from plants such as euonymus or cornus, select branches that will not leave large gaps in the plant.

Alexandra Baulkwill is Features Development Manager for The Garden

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