Tony McCabe Wassailing through the winter!
A small garden in Merseyside that is packed with a variety of different features.
During the brief dry spells, the sight of a little blue sky lifts the spirits. A squelch around the garden shows the gardening year is trying to get started, with fat buds on the Magnolia stellata and spring bulbs poking through.
A closer look shows some winter colour, with the yellow spidery flowers of witch hazel lighting up a shady corner. The naked amelanchier looks good showing its silhouette to the sky but it’s the evergreens that really shine now, from the hollies shielding us from the main road to the mature ivy that covers an ugly concrete fence. Three-year-old mistletoe is growing on the family apple tree – perhaps it will make an appearance indoors in December!
Following a bumper crop in 2022, our family apple tree decided to have a rest last year, so in order to encourage it this year I’ve decided on a little wassailing: an ancient custom of blessing fruit trees. This is not a practice undertaken in these parts so my own version will have to suffice; the success (or not!) will be reported as the year unfolds. Perhaps last year was just a strange year but our standard fig grown in a pot was not happy, so I’ll examine the rootball.
In the cold greenhouse, late-sown carrots and lettuce are toughing it out under fleece and seed of onion ‘Ailsa Craig’ will be looking for warmer days. Also on the staging, planted in a large pot, are Scilla peruviana bulbs bought during a summer break in the Scilly Isles. Their impressive growth so far shows the promise of blue flowers to come. Truth be told, the greenhouse is long overdue a clean up, so a busy time lies ahead. Cheaper than joining a gym!