7th Day, create Christmas bouquets

 A woodland space is ideal for a winter garden. “I've collected a ‘Christmas Bouquet’ for many years, long before I heard the term winter garden,” says the late Judith Tyler of Pine Knot Farm, www.pineknotfarms.com, “A Christmas Bouquet is just that, a bouquet of flowers, berries and leaves you collect for a holiday table decoration. Often I include not only hollies, ivies and Christmas Roses, which we see on cards and associate with the season, but also the last small rose buds, Snowdrops, chrysanthemum flowers, Narcissus, Cyclamen and perfumed Sarcocca or Sweet Box just to name a few. Later, I love the period when plants newly emerge. The first Crocus and Narcissus in many ways is more special to me than all the flowers of July and August combined. Going out to ‘See what's up’ during the early spring is energizing.”

Pine Knot Farm located in Clarksville Virginia

 



Because the Tyler home is located in a forest, Virginia based Green Industry colleagues Dick and Judith, kept their garden as natural as possible. Judith says, “In the early 1990’s, we began the garden simply as a shade garden. The soil in our woodland is composed of 1 to 1 1/2 inches of woodland stuff, then 18 inches to 2 feet of tree roots and rocks, then red clay … not exactly the best gardening area.”

To improve the site, the soil was first broken up as much as possible and then new soil mound over existing. Three long borders, each over 100 feet long and 8 to 12 feet wide were installed to form an oval. Then, these borders were planted with shade loving shrubs and small trees, bulbs and of course herbaceous perennials.

Initially, the Tylers focus on bird attraction. But as years passed, because they ran out of space in the original beds, the plants began to back into the feeding areas. Mahonia hybrids, Charity, Winter Sun and Underway as well as a number of Hammamelis or Witch Hazels, Edgeworthia and Daphne odora were installed to provide color and fragrance. Small trees such as Wintersweet, Chimonanthus praecox and Japanese Maples, Cornus cousa as well as a few Rhododendron species and Camellia hybrids were also added to create height within the planting areas.

“Almost immediately,” Judith recalls, “We had a problem with deer. They loved the hosta planted in the first long borders, and by September all that was left of the hosta were tall stems, sitting naked and ungainly. So, we turned to plants that deer do not choose, although a hungry deer will eat almost anything and young fawns try everything at least once. Through experimenting, we discovered deer around here don't like hellebores, which is good, since over time these plants have become the more numerous of any one plant in our garden.”

Energized by their success, Judith and Dick began to breed hellebores. Judith says, “We traveled over the US, UK and Europe looking at Hellebores and collected plants that specifically bloom in the winter. There are many days during our Virginia winters when the sun is out and temperatures rise into the 40ºF. If you block the wind, these days are perfect for enjoying the garden, so why not put things in the garden to enjoy?”

Presently, thousands of native Phlox divaricata have seeded and as Judith says, “We have what we call Pine Knot Watercolor Mix, every shade of blue, lilac, lavender, mauve, and purple, as well as whites with and without eyes and some that are almost true pink.” In April for four to six weeks, the phlox turns the shade garden into a wave of blues. Other natives - Trillium, Aquilegia, Mertensia, Hepatica, Sanguinaria, Heuchera and several dozen different species and cultivars of ferns both native and nonnative – are scattered throughout the garden.

The garden also includes thousands of bulbs. “The bulbs are intermingled between the hellebores,” says Judith, “with Rohdea japonica in several forms, Brunnera, Aspidistra, many different Epimediums, Podophyllums and Arisaemas, with a cluster of large plants of Amorphophallus konjac to give some zip.”

During the winter and early spring, the Tyler garden fills with brilliant colors and then, by July, is an array of cool color. “Our garden is not only for our pleasure, our two dogs and four cats as well as many, many birds and small creatures enjoy the space.” Judith says, “Because of this, we try never to use any sprays or other chemicals in the garden.”

Tip – Recommended Resource: Hellebores: a comprehensive guide co-authored by Judith Tyler and published by Timber Press.