winter thinking

We are now at the time of year when we start thinking spring and summer next season. What new plants will we grow, what seeds shall we order, do we need to make any big changes over winter? So many questions, ideas and themes will come into your head as you browse the seed catalogues, look through your gardening books and generally think 2008!

I have been giving some though to increasing the ornamental design in my garden. The little areas of interest which highlight the planting and give an extra special zest to a walk around the garden. I have the quirky and unusual as well as the sober and staid. My telephone from an old diesel loco cab is quite unexpected as is my little Buddha who will be one of the focal points for my new algave section next year.

There are just tons of lovely ornamental statues and vases etc that you can buy now but be careful! I well remember a friend who bought a rather naughty statue and spent most of the summer trying to cover up his personal bits! Don't know why, he looked fine to me.

Gertrude Jekyll always said that to look for the best examples of outdoor ornament you need to look to the old gardens of Italy. I couldn't agree more, there are some wonderful examples of good use of vases and urns as well as statues - and don't be lulled into the belief that to buy something grand or even not so grand you need a big garden - small gardens make excellent homes for ornaments and there is nothing more satifying than seeing a lovely pot planted up with lots of vibrant red geraniums.

Gertrude was most insistent that one didn't buy a variety of vases of different kinds and sizes and scatter them around the garden - in one of her articles she wrote, rather delightfully, something to the effect that by doing so you gave an uneasy impression such as that received on entering a room furnished with a Louis Quatorze escritoire and an old English farmhouse linen hutch with a selection of chairs from Cromwell to Queen Victoria! I think I know what she means, but that taken on board I do feel that a variety (perhaps subtle) collection of pots is better than none.

Of course your choice will also depend on the type of garden you have and whether it is modern, cottage, traditional/formal or simply a small patio with a few well chosen shrubs. So now is the time to get the old thinking cap on - buy yourself something really nice for the garden - it deserves it!