Longing for Spring

Usually, by mid-October, I welcome a break from the garden, if only to recharge the batteries. Ironically by the first week of December, I am longing for the return of Spring so that I can get stuck into things again. Myra pointed out that the snowdrops were already peeking through the garden soil.

At this time of year when there is not so much in the way of colour in the borders, the evergreens come into their own. Bamboo can look very impressive but plant it in the wrong position and your bamboo will be as welcome as a dandelion in your prize-winning annual flower border.

However, as a specimen plant in the right place, it will look fantastic. When you get home from the garden centre with your treasured purchase, leave it in the pot. Place it in a number of positions in your borders, you will know when you have got it right by how sensational it looks. Tall evergreen, elegant and swaying in the breeze.

Two of my favourites are Phyllostachys Nigra, stems turning a polished ebony black in the second or third year. Phyllostachys Aureosulcata Spectabilis (Golden Groove Bamboo), golden yellow stems with green grooves.

They both grow to around two and a half meters here in Scotland. After a few years, they can lose their elegant look with being overcrowded. So get in about with the secateurs and remove quite a number of the canes, allowing the plant to sway again. Don’t be afraid to be vigorous with your pruning.