Gardening Through The Seasons
“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” - Henry David Thoreau
In an increasingly frantic world, where we are often pulled in competing directions, or drawn into the chaos of everyday experience, the natural world can often act as a haven; it becomes a safe and separate space for us to live in the present and enjoy that elusive moment we are so often told to appreciate.
However, in order to fully enjoy the present moment in our own gardens, it requires a little more forward planning than Thoreau lets on: if we do want to breathe in the aromatic air of lilacs and lavender, or taste the sweet fruits of strawberries and tomatoes, the reality is we probably needed to have planted them about six months beforehand.
Finding that balance - between living in the present and planning ahead - is essential, in gardening as it is in life. So, here’s a seasonal guide to understanding a little of ‘the influence of the earth’, in the hope that we can fully revel in its year-round beauty.
Winter
For many of us, the post-Christmas period is not the most appealing time for some green-fingered activity. January often goes by in a blur, and we find ourselves trudging begrudgingly through the sludge of cold, dark winter days.
However, February can mark the beginning of us emerging from our hibernation; capturing the potential of those precious snatches of daylight and spending a few hours in the crisp fresh air can make a huge difference to our mental wellbeing.
American writer Paul Theroux described winter as a season for recovery and preparation. Whilst this is probably excellent advice for life generally, it proves an apt summation of our gardening role in the winter months: see it as a time to invest in the hope of spring.
Basic garden maintenance is an essential part of this investment; clearing debris and improving drainage might not sound like a mindful and therapeutic way to spend those winter afternoons, but you will thank yourself in summer. Those rotting leaves scattered across the soil make ideal conditions for insects to lay their eggs; raking them up now, will mean you protect your plants later. If you have the space, you can even bundle them up in a black bin bag and leave them to rot down - in a few months, they will make the perfect fertiliser for your flowerbeds. Frost can actually be your friend in winter; it can break down the soil, allowing for a finer tilth for planting. By mustering up the energy to do some preparatory digging, and by working in compost at the same time, you will improve the soil’s textural richness - this will feed your plants over the coming months.
To add a blast of colour to the wintery grey landscape, consider the following:
White forsythia
This is a slender and fragrant white flower that blooms in February, and works well in borders or pots.
Bergenia
These are easy-to-grow perennials and flower from January to April, making them a welcome addition to a winter garden.
Winter Aconite
These small perennials bloom into bright cup-shaped flowers from late winter, bringing a flash of yellow even before the daffodils arrive.
Spring
Spring is often a hopeful time. We eagerly await its arrival, longing for the life it can bring: more light, more warmth and more colour. However, anticipation can often bring overly-elevated expectations, and it is important not to rush things when it comes to the garden.
In Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations, spring is described as the time of year when it is summer in the sun and winter in the shade. As such, we should be gentle and nurturing in our horticultural approach.
Begin sowing and planting for the summer months; prune and propagate your shrubs; tie in the early shoots of climber plants and support growing stems by introducing sticks; take cuttings and divide perennials; and tend to your lawn if you have one. Remember that frosts can last until April, so protect seedling plants by raising them under cover.
We are often spoilt for choice with spring flowers but, for maximum effect, enhance your garden by clustering and layering plants; consider how you can utilise depth, height and colour. These suggestions would make fantastic additions to a spring canvas:
Cyclamen
These flowers bloom early, bridging the period between winter and spring. They are hardy little plants, even able to withstand a light frosting, and can still thrive in shady conditions, making them an ideal choice for surviving the extremes of the British springtime.
Sulphureum
These need well drained soil, but are otherwise tough and will survive in shadier conditions. The open sprays of small yellow flowers can introduce cheerful splashes of colour, beneath growing roses and shrubs.
Siberian Squill
Also affectionately known as ‘spring beauty’, these delicate flowers begin as violet blue, but gradually become paler as spring progresses. These work well in urban gardens - with courtyards, patios, gravel - so can add a welcome burst of colour even when space might be a limiting factor.
Summer
Summertime is when the effort you’ve put in comes to fruition. However, in a far cry from the famous song, living isn’t always so easy when it comes to your garden - keeping plants thriving during the heat, can require some effort. Evenings are your ideal time for pottering: water your plants as they rest and tend to your garden when the sun isn’t so intense. Deadheading and pruning is essential to keep your plants flourishing throughout these months. When you are planting for summer - or positioning your pots - remember that the brighter the flower, the more sunshine it will like: reds, oranges and yellows will thrive in the rays of full sun, whereas blues and purples will appreciate a semi-shaded spot.
Colour is somewhat of a given in a summer garden, but to push the potential of your blooms, try appealing to the other senses with these choices:
Lavender
Lavender remains a favourite for good reason. Bees thrive on it, and their gentle hum is nature’s soundtrack for summer. Plant lavender next to borders and paths so that the sweet fragrance is released as you brush against it.
Phlox
Billowing, bright and blousy, these herbaceous flowers make a fantastically colourful addition to bedding borders, shadier spots or even doorstep containers. Their heady aroma will scent your summer evenings.
Autumn
Autumn is all about perspective. Of course it could be tempting to view it as the death knell of summer, but it is more gratifying to reframe it as your garden’s final blast of beauty - perhaps a well-deserved curtain call after the theatrical show of the summer season.
Once the riotous colours have faded and the falling leaves have fluttered to the ground, your gardening priorities are to preserve, protect and plan ahead. Remove delicate bulbs indoors, and insulate any pots that will remain outdoors as it gets colder. Scatter foxgloves, crocuses or daisies for a small spring meadow, but ensure you spread a top layer of mulch over the beds so they are protected in winter.
Not everything wilts in autumn, and It is possible to introduce some other pops of colour into the palette:
Salvia Blue enigma
These enjoy a sunnier spot but will flower throughout autumn; their tall spikes of blue will work well in borders or pots, and juxtapose beautifully against the fallen leaves.
Kaffir lily
These salmony-pink and crimson flowers will arrive in time to complement your garden’s autumn leaves and then last throughout the winter. Their soil should be moist, but not waterlogged, so an ideal home for them is a pot with good drainage. They are otherwise very low maintenance, so a perfect plant for when the nights start drawing in.
Embracing the seasons - and, in Thoreau’s words, the ‘influence of the earth’ - essentially means embracing the natural ebb and flow of life itself. Gardens are not only a haven from life’s hectic or overwhelming moments, but an apt metaphor for understanding our own sense of wellbeing. Like all natural things, we need the time and space for recovery, for nurturing, for maintenance; we require seasons where we can focus on preservation or planning, in order to allow us to flourish later. At Bloom, the hope is that gardening can provide the opportunity for just that. If you’d like to come and give gardening a go, why not join us at one of our Gather & Grow sessions?
Many thanks to Victoria Waddoups for writing this beautiful blog post for Bloom.