As the year comes to a close here at Trebah, the work in the garden hasn’t come to a stop just yet.
You might notice a few piles of foliage stacked up, with the areas ready to be finished off in the new year once the garden team are back from their Christmas hibernation.
A lot like plants, gardeners need quite similar care over the next few weeks: a warm place to rest, plenty of food and a good level of hydration.
Although a little more bare than other times of year, there’s something about the quiet charm of Trebah in the winter, and it makes it even more special when you spot some of the few flowers peeking out along the paths around the garden.
Years of planning
You may or may not have noticed some greenery has disappeared between Laurel Lane and Radiata Path. I say you may not have noticed because the clearing of Laurel and Rhododendron ponticum has been an ongoing task around the garden for over 15 years.
This sympathetic pruning has been taking place over the years to open up new views, but also to provide more light and airflow reducing disease, and helping surrounding plants to flourish. Don’t be fooled by the attractive purple flowers of Rhododendron ponticum; this shrub is an invasive species and also a keen host of deadly disease, Phytophthora.
We also plan to use these areas for more interesting specimens, continuing to grow our exciting collection here at Trebah.
In keeping with the Christmas spirit, some of the Laurel off-cuts have been used by the elves to decorate Santa’s workshop - see if you can identify it if you’re booked in for a trip with the big man.
Christmas haircut
The volunteers have been hard at work in the water garden over the last few weeks tidying the Ginger Lilies which were beginning to look a little floppy, aswell as cutting down lots of other herbaceous perennials which are now finished for the season.
We have also cleared any overhanging foliage along the stream which has given the water a striking impact; following up from the bottom, watch the water sparkle silver as it catches the light.
Running up that (Healey’s) Hill
We have been clearing some overhanging Eleagnus and Olearia on the edge of Healey’s Hill. We wanted to make maintenance of the area a little easier as the shrubs were becoming too tall to reach with our hedge trimmer.
Once felled, we spent the morning chipping the timber and foliage back into the surrounding area, acting as a nutrient-rich mulch giving benefits to the ground and nearby plants.
Wildlife sightings
- Some very friendly robins
- Cormorant
- Buzzards
Happy Christmas!
We in the garden team would like to wish you a happy Christmas and we hope you are looking forward to seeing the garden in all its seasons in the coming year.
