Deciduous delights of winter

Press, 25 June 1981, Page 12

Deciduous delights of winter

LANDSCAPING YOUR HOME j

Gilbert Brakey

Winter, some people find, is a drab and 'uninteresting period in the garden. Christchurch gardens have a predominance of deciduous plant material, particularly trees. At first glance deciduous plants can appear to be somewhat the same.

On closer inspection, however, there arc numerous differences in branch and twig structures, when they are seen as a silhouette against a winter sky, or when viewed from closer quarters. These are not the only visible landscape qualities to be found in deciduous plants.

There are plants with unusual or brightly coloured stems and branches such as the Golden Willow, Golden Ash, Red-stemmed Dog-bush and certain Maples. It is during the winter months that these features are seen at their best.

The other closely related feature is the bark of trees such as found, on Arbutos Menziesii, or Betula species. Trees such as these provide colour and interest in the winter garden. The buds of trees can also become more obvious during the deciduous period. What could be more striking than the silvery buds of the Pussy W'illow or the black buds of the Golden Ash? Fruits and nuts which have not been removed by strong winter winds hang amongst the bare branches, providing yet again another point of landscape interest. Anyone of these aspects, or a combination of them all, can make this category of plant a most desirable element in our garden design. Use deciduous plants to the full, placing them in the garden where their winter time attributes can be seen to advantage. A deciduous tree with colourful bark or stems can be placed outside a room from which it can be viewed against a backdrop of evergreen shrubs. The open branches will be

silhouetted against the sky, permitting the winter sunlight to filter down to the ground. It is important, however. to sele<ct the correct tree for this purpose as some are more well endowed with branches and twigs than others.

If you are uncertain what is available in the way of deciduous plant material and what it looks like, a trip to the Botanic Gardens would be more than worthwhile. As you walk about the city or drive through the streets of Christchurch look more

carefully at the wide range of deciduous plants tha.t we have available for use in landscaping our gardens. The range is wide and varied and it can be used to advantage to make the winter garden more livable and interesting. •