Delights of festive foraging

Bleary-eyed, I sauntered upstairs like a half-shut knife. I hit the landing and was struck by something.

The view across the field, out the Velux window. A hard frost had hit overnight. Sparkling and glistening on the emerging oil seed rape crop.

My garden below just as enchanting. The fastigiate yews like festive pillars while the prostrate Pinus mugo spread out like a mound of silver tinsel.

I cracked open the window and was blasted by that air.

The kind that only comes at this time of year.

Bracing, refreshing, filling your lungs with cleanest purity and yet drawing it out simultaneously. Magic. It won’t be long until Christmas now.

DRESSING THE CHAPEL

November lulls you into lazy auburn, bronzes and browns. Abruptly we hit December and suddenly a change in pace and palette occurs.

It’s all about the greenery, sparkly metallics and luminous red berries. At Haddo House, we dress the chapel and put up Christmas trees at the beginning of December.

We gardeners set the scene for the season’s festivities soon brought to life.

The chapel feels empty without the swags of our green-fingered foraging.

Not long until the empty shell is filled with the heavenly chirp of harmonious voices.

Low light from the winter sun will stream through the stained glass. Faces and greenery illuminated ethereal.

We are fortunate to have a wide variety of greenery at Haddo House to make our lovely swags.

The ledges, windowsills, stairs and tables all receive a generous makeover. We unfortunately are not permitted to use fresh berries.

These break down or are squashed and stain historic surfaces. So, much to my dismay, we can’t pick and use the cheery red holly or rowan berries.

Same goes for the snowy white berries of the whitebeams and snowberry. None the less, we gather the greenery.

SWAG BAG

Greenery is made up of a hearty mix of Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (Lawson’s cypress), Cupressus x leylandii (Leyland cypress), Ilex aquifolium (holly), Pinus strobus (Eastern white pine), Prunus laurocerasus (cherry laurel), Pseudotsega menziesii (Douglas fir) and Taxus baccata (yew).

We gather additional cones strewn along the grounds and forest floor from a mix of trees like cedars, larches, pines and Wellingtonias.

All of these are ideal for making a swag at home too.

Occasionally I’ve even gathered some extra and taken it home to cheer up the house.

If I felt even wilder; I’ve made wreaths. I won’t bore you with how to make these.

There are a million guides out there and you probably read about it all too often.

It’s ideal garden magazine filler-fodder at this time of year.

WHAT TO BUY A GARDENER FOR CHRISTMAS?

There are many things you can buy a gardener for Christmas. I laugh when I see the tat available online and in garden centres.

All too often the gifts are style over substance. Fancy a Hippeastrum in a shiny pot with a bow for £15? Eh no, thanks.

Similarly I don’t need another make your own gin kit either. For me personally, I like tools and books.

Things I will actually use more than once. Novelty secateurs? No thanks, make them decent Felcos or Okatsunes.

Book of funny gardening stories? No thanks, a decent RHS guide or a Dr Hessayon.

Perhaps a lovely houseplant (NOT from the supermarket!) or maybe just a gift voucher for the local garden centre. Of course you can tailor your needs to what is desired.

I remember one friend waxing lyrical about the Haemmerlin wheelbarrow they got for Christmas.

It was amusing to see the height of their loved ones’ gifts was peaked by such a utilitarian object.

I heard all about the ergonomic handles, smooth handling, tool holder slots and a marks inside to indicate litres of soil.

I felt bad when they asked if I’d tried one and I said: “Yes, we’ve got 12 of them at work.”

I’ll be controversial here and say that even as a professional gardener, there is more to life than gardening.

Not much more, mind.

A WARM HAT

As such, don’t be shoehorned into only buying some sort of garden themed gift.

The Christmas item I’ve used in the garden more than any other was from my mum.

It was a very warm hat. I have spent many hours with it on, especially in winter.

Hundreds of hours of pruning apple trees, raking up leaves, sowing seeds in a potting shed and much more have been done with that hat.

When the cold winter weather comes I look at the garden and I grab it. Hopefully you can sort ‘that hat’ for your loved one.

Take care and happy gardening.

COLD COMFORT: Scott’s faithful hat, left, given to him by his mother. Below left and right, greenery lines the sills amid the glories of Haddo House Chapel.