Wave magazine

Allie Saunders on the burst of glory that is the cottage garden perennials

My favourite poem when I was little was about a dormouse in a flowerbed. He loved “delphiniums (blue) and geraniums (red)” and when the plants were changed to chrysanthemums the little dormouse couldn’t bear it and had to put his hands over his eyes.

“Flower blooms are like butterflies or even a British summer itself: dazzlingly beautiful but disappointingly short-lived”

If, like A. A. Milne’s dormouse, you prefer cottage garden perennials then you will find June is the both the best and the worst of times. After weeks of working and waiting, your grand designs should finally be coming to fruition as the clock of the year ticks towards midsummer. (more…)

Allie Saunders reveals the best ingredients for our compost bins, and what not to throw in

May, with its blowsy blossoms and moist, heady scents, is a magical month in the garden. But if you want to entice a little more green enchantment into your backyard then I’m afraid you really need to turn your mind to compost.

If you don’t have a compost bin, now is the time to get one, ready for the new layers of grass and hedge trimmings that will soon be coming thick and fast.

“Making good compost is a bit like performing alchemy. With a quick wave of your fork you can transform unattractive waste into the treasure your garden needs most”

Making good compost is a bit like performing alchemy. With a quick wave of your fork and a bit of patience you can transform unattractive waste into the treasure your garden needs most – dark, sweet-smelling, loam which adds wonderful nourishment to the soil. It also comes absolutely free.

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Now that spring has sprung, it’s all systems go in the garden, says Allie Saunders

Spring is here at last! Suddenly leaf buds are swelling and bursting, creating a startling, lime-green haze on hedges and in my wildish flower garden the bluebells will soon be in full bloom.

The sight of bluebells always makes me smile, so I was not surprised to find recently that essence of bluebell is supposed to be good for “connecting” – getting us back in touch both with nature and ourselves.

In the vegetable plot we can finally get down to some proper sowing. If you’re not sure it’s warm enough yet, here’s a tip from a friend of mine: simply watch nature itself.

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Allie Saunders is counting down the days until the start of spring – only six weeks to go!

February, the fag-end of winter, is the one time of year I find depressing. I know the earth heals better than any medicine but, hard as I try, it’s sometimes difficult to believe Monty Don’s beautiful phrase when the ground is either too cold or too wet and nothing much seems to be happening.

Yet, slowly and imperceptibly, new life is stirring, encouraging me not to fall prey to the February blues. We are already at Candlemas, halfway between the longest night and the spring equinox, and there are just six weeks to go before the official start of spring.

St Valentine’s is the modern focus of the month. Centuries ago it was said to be the day when birds started to chat up their mates, while in parts of Eastern Europe the key the saint holds unlocks the roots, meaning that plants are awakening invisibly under the ground.

“Finding a swathe of white snowdrops on a grassy bank or under a bare-branched apple tree can lift the heart, but they look just as gorgeous in a simple dark pot”

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Even in the depths of winter, nature plays a key role in festive traditions, says Allie Saunders

Once you have a garden, or any space where plants are nurtured, you realise why traditional British Christmas celebrations lasted for so long.

Outside in the cold there is literally nothing to do, which is just as well, for now we can use the hours we might have spent in the garden on more urgent activities such as partying and hunting down presents and festive supplies. If you lead a busy life it can be a relief to know that for the next few weeks you can leave the garden to snooze quietly under its blanket of frost.

“Nature is not quite forgotten – even those who disparage it battle to bring it indoors, struggling with large netted trees or trailing bits of ivy around the house”

On the other hand, nature is not quite forgotten, for this is the time of year when even those who disparage it battle to bring it indoors, struggling with large netted trees or trailing bits of ivy around the house.

Many new homes and sleek apartments just aren’t big enough for a tree, and a pile of vegetation can often look bizarre in a stylish sitting room. One way round this, if you have any kind of outside space at all, is to use lights to make your own enchanted grotto which can be seen from the windows on Christmas Eve.

Having lots of fairy lights burning is not really ecologically sound. Candles and tea lights are a much better answer, glowing from tree branches in coloured glass jars or standing under container plants on the deck or terrace where the lights will shine upwards and softly illuminate any foliage.

If you are going to have a tree this year, remember that while artificial ones can be used time and time again, they are nearly always nonbiodegradable and that, while we might prefer to see our landscape filled with deciduous woodland, tree farming provides jobs and perhaps helps offset CO2 emissions.

You might want to try a living tree which you can plant in the garden in January, along with the festive memories it holds, and dig up again next year. Opt for one in a container as it will stand the best chance of surviving the holiday indoors.

The British Christmas Tree Growers Association has tips on care at www.christmastree.org.uk.

If you decide on a cut tree, find out how to recycle it and what provision is made for this by your local authority or others. Rye Rangers, for example, need them to help stabilise the sand dunes at Camber. Phone 01797 226488 for more information.