The perfect spot for our new arbour
Over the past few weeks we’ve been busy in the front garden. The perennials have been chopped back and the annuals removed. It’s now looking very bare and will do until the spring bulbs start to peep through next year. In comparison, the back garden's still looking full; even now in December it’s holding up well and the evergreen plants continue to provide structure and interest. The fronds on the deciduous ferns have turned a delicate bronze, adding a little warmth to the otherwise very green colour palette.
Our hero plant this time of year is fatsia ‘Spider's Web’. We've a number of them dotted around the garden, all in shady spots where the mostly white leaves add a punch of brightness.
During our pre-winter tidy up we found a spot sandwiched between the back of the hot tub, a leggy Cotinus coggygria and overgrown Fatsia japonica, where nothing of interest was growing. We thought this would make a perfect spot for a little seating area. It catches the early morning sun and we could enjoy a view of the garden we would otherwise miss.
After seeing a similar arbour in an open garden last summer we ordered one online, not quite realising how many pieces it would arrive in! After many hours of assembly in the cold we’re really happy with the result. We’re unsure whether to paint it a deep brown to help it disappear into the planting or to let it age naturally? We’ll live with it for a few weeks before making a decision.
Earlier in the year we joined the Blackheath and Charlton Amateur Horticultural Society where, this month, the guest speaker was GN columnist Nick Bailey talking about using colour in the garden. We came away enthused with a number of ideas
that we can’t wait to try out in the garden.