The Garden in December

Make your own wreath! The best advice anyone could give you is 'stay indoors'........ well, go outside and collect some foliage, and then make a wreath indoors. If you are lucky enough to have access to foliage, the following all lend themselves to wreath-making: Spruce (Picea), Fir (Abies), Pine (Pinus), Western red cedar (Thuja), Cotoneaster, Pittosporum, Holly (Ilex), Ivy (Hedera), Skimmia, Red-twig dogwood (Cornus alba), Alder (Alnus), Cedar (Cedrus)..........  Anthea, who makes the wreaths in this household, recommends making a circular frame out of flexible younger branches of Eucalyptus, Acacia or of a climbing plant such as Ivy or Honeysuckle. Into the frame, and using thin wire, insert the smaller branches mentioned above, and ornament with pine cones, silver bells or a red bow. The berries of Euonymus alatus (Spindle), Holly and Skimmia will all bring some much-needed winter cheer. Making your own wreath can be time consuming, but it has its rewards, not least the fact that it gets you outside and looking hard at everything that grows for possibility....... 'does that have something to offer?' From mossy twigs to swelling cones, from seed heads to berries, there is plenty going on out there. (Photo courtesy of Jane Powers)

Establishing a groundcover matrix. When we use the term 'groundcover' we refer to lower plants which hide the ground. Some plants actually stick to the ground (like ivy), whereas others spread slowly to form dense clumps. If the ground isn't too water-logged in your part of Ireland, this is a very good time to establish an area of what we call a 'groundcover matrix'. It's a good time because there are four or five months ahead of us when watering won't be necessary, and plants should have established enough by the summer to be able to get through it without irrigation. Establishing a matrix of plants can be an expensive business, as a large area will consume quantities of plants. Generally, we choose a density of three to four plants per square metre, depending on various conditions such as plant species and how 'instantly' the garden should look good. For a groundcover of native grasses, ferns and occasional clusters of flowering plants such as Foxgloves, there should be a planting density of four to five plants per square metre. Our best native grass which grows to form a 'green carpet' is Luzula sylvatica. This grass spreads slowly both by creeping and by seed. It can be punctuated by clusters of flowering plants to form an 'idealised' woodland. If you aren't concerned with being strictly native, but are happy to plant in the more Robinsonian style (ie naturalistic rather than natural), it can be improved with the addition of Bleeding heart (Dicentra), Monkshood (Aconitum) or Fumitory (Corydalis). A garden like this may look somewhat spotty for the first few months of its life, but will take on a life of its own once the spring arrives.  It should be very well-mulched with fine bark mulch and maintenance will take the form of ensuring no invasive weeds emerge (nettle, dock etc). The photos show a garden by us, both before and after planting. If you want a natural, ever-changing plant-based garden, we can devise a scheme, supply the plants, and plant it too if you wish. Please contact us...

A month or two after planting this suburban woodland garden in south Co Dublin.

Eight months after planting: perennials, ferns and grasses are filling in.

Another year later, and the garden has really filled in.

• Garden in November: http://www.dyg.ie/garden-november
• Garden in October: http://www.dyg.ie/garden-october
• Garden in September: http://www.dyg.ie/garden-september