The Woodland Garden, (Winter Task, 4)

Things are starting to stir in the woodland garden with the flowering of the Helleborus Orientalis, Snowdrops, and Winter Aconites. There is still so much important work to be done in order to maintain and develop the woodland garden during the winter period. I really enjoy working in the woodland garden at this time of year beneath majestic trees such as the Wellingtonias, (Sequoiadendron  Giganteum) and Douglas Firs,(Pseudotsuga  Menziesii) to name but a few; it makes me feel very humble.

PLANTING  A  MIXED  HEDGE  OF  LAUREL  &  HOLLY

During the past few seasons I have been developing a mixed hedgerow of laurel and holly along the edge of a dry stone wall that borders a church yard. This hedge has been created from plants through the woodland floor via  nature’s cycle of wind, precipitation and seed dispersal from wildlife. Once I have planted the holly, depending on the size of each individual plant, I prune it back a couple of inches which gives rise to the growth of several side shoots.  Over the course of several  seasons this helps to form a compact hedge, interplanted with the laurel.

Such a  natural mixed hedgerow works well in the woodland garden. The contrasting shades of green of the laurel and holly work well together, with the added bonus of the different leaf structures of the two plants, adding interest beneath the many tree species.

FERNS, RHODODENDRONS & GROUND COVER

This  week I have been pruning back the foliage of the ferns Dryopteris Affinis, (Scaly Male Fern). This fern varies in height, from 60cm. to 1.5metres, according to the conditions. It seems to flourish well in the woodland garden. Once I have pruned back the foliage I place the prunings  around the bases of some nearby rhododendron species in this particular area of the woodland. I have found that this acts as an excellent mulch conserving moisture around the rhododendrons, and an ideal condition in which they can flourish.

REJUVENATING  THE   RHODODENDRONS

I prune back any dead wood from the rhododendrons to keep them in good shape. In the late autumn I undertook a pruning project on a group of rhododendron species which included rhododendron ponticum within this area of the garden. This required me to get right in underneath these mature specimens, many of which were well established and had been planted in the 1940 ‘s. I learned from undertaking this interesting project that they had undergone no pruning since  first being planted.

Rhododendrons, as a general rule, do not really need much pruning, however for older specimens like this a large amount of wood naturally disperses itself on the woodland floor each season, but there is also a build up of gongested dead wood and live growth which needs to be removed and thinned out to lift the canopy.

Most of the rhododendrons which were being pruned were about 3 and a half metres in height. The advantage of carrying out this work is that it has increased the air flow through the rhododendrons thus reducing  the likelihood of diseases. This is particularly important  bearing in mind such devastating diseases as PHYTOPHORA RAMORUM. Lifting and thinning the canopy of the shrubs has inevitably increased the light intensity on to the woodland floor beneath them. I am now undertaking the second stage of the project by planting Epimediums as ground cover. It usually thrives very well as a ground cover in a woodland setting.

SELF  LAYERING PROCESS (RHODODENDRONS)

While I was undertaking the work of pruning out large amounts of wood from beneath the rhododendrons I noticed that many of them had naturally self layered themselves through the course of time. Many of the lower stems had arched down into the soil and had produced new plants. It will be interesting to see how these plants will respond to the much increased light which is entering the ground beneath the mature shrubs.

TREE MANAGEMENT

Removing ivy from trees is a seasonal task that I always include on my winter task list, and I always make sure, without fail, that it is always undertaken. Ivy quickly colonises trees throughout each growing season, and if left on some of the smaller trees it can cause complete devastation. If left over several seasons on larger and more mature trees it becomes unmanageable and makes the task of removing it exceptionally difficult.

I find the easiest way is to prize the ivy from the trees with a pair of open secateurs. On trees such as Wellingtonias the spongy bark enables you to pull it away easily by hand. Over the last few seasons I have taken a step further in removing the ivy from the base of the trunk, creating a clear circle of about half a metre. This method means that the ivy  has to grow back towards the base of the tree, thus  reducing the amount of time it will have to grow up the trunk of the tree throughout the growing season. This, in turn, makes the task more manageable the following winter. Much depends on how mild the weather is throughout the growing season, in relation to the growth rate of the ivy.

NOT  TOO  TIDY – ATTRACTING THE WILDLIFE

I am careful not to remove the ivy any further than the base of the trees as it is very beneficial for attracting a diversity of wildlife. Using the pruning saw I remove any dead limbs, which I can do so easily with this tool.  However, it is important not to prune all of the dead wood away. In a natural woodland setting this would not happen and therefore I deliberately leave approximately 30% of dead wood to attract wildlife into the woodland setting.

Leaving the dead wood ceates a full circle of nature. For example, it attracts a greater range of birds into the area, which increases the chance of the dispersal of berries from such trees as the Holly (Ilex Aquifolium). I can use the latter, for example,  in  creating a mixed holly and laurel hedge.

PYRUS SALICIFOLIA PENDULA

The common name for these trees is Weeping Willow Pear. I undertake a seasonal pruning of them, which involves removing a degree of spindley dead wood from the tips of the main branches and from within the centre of the tree. I always undertake this task with the view to sustaining the shape of the tree, which has a lovely natural weeping form, hence the name of the tree (Pendula).

The pyrus do not really respond well to heavy pruning of the new wood and, in fact, I have discovered that it can cause die back of branches. The objective is to remove as much of the existing dead wood, but to keep a nice well balanced shape. If there is too much dead wood to prune out in one season, I space out the pruning over two winter seasons. This helps to keep a good visual shape to the tree, with most of the dead wood taken out, and new wood growing  in the year. So, with a bit of careful planning you can keep the tree as healthy as possible, in good shape, and work with nature as much as possible to achieve the desired result.

OBSERVATIONS  IN  THE  WOODLAND  GARDEN

There  are many interesting things to see at the moment in the woodland garden, and here are just a few of my recent observations -

CYCLAMEN  COUM

The  rounded leaves of cyclamen coum are glossed with a beautiful silver tinge on the leaves. Because of the mild winter so far, the flowers which normally form during late winter and early spring are now starting to appear.

IRIS  FOETIDISSIMA

The  glossy rich, green strap -shaped leaves of this iris form many clumps dotted around the woodland setting. The open headed seed capsules look really impressive displaying their bright orange fruits

POLYSTICHUM  COMMUNE

This  fascinating moss forms a carpet under a wonderful Spanish Chestnut tree, (Castanea  Sativa) It is smooth to the touch and grows to a height of about 12mm.( amazing when viewed through an illuminated loupe with a magnification of 40x25mm!)

NEXT  TWO BLOGS:

* PROPAGATING  ARBUTUS  SEEDS  FROM  A GREEK  ISLAND

* PRUNING  ROSES:  AN  INFLUENCE OF THE LATE  GRAHAM  STUART THOMAS, (WINTER TASK 5)