The Holly and the Ivy and a wee Christmas Robin
Ho, ho, ho it’s Holly
Most of us are familiar with the English form of holly (Illex aquifolium) with its shiny dark green spiky leaves and red berries. It makes you think of Christmas, but did you know that to get berries on your holly tree, then you need a male plant located close to the female plant to produce berries?
Ivy – Friend or Foe?
Well, it’s all a matter of perspective. Many people hate ivy (Hedera helix) and take it out of their gardens, as they see it as a weed and don’t want it smothering borders or climbing up buildings.
I think it is useful when it is grown in the right place. It is not as simple as classing it as a garden foe or a friend. Where I think it comes into its own, is in difficult shady conditions.
Ivy makes a very good evergreen climber, covering walls and fences or walls where not much else will grow.
The big winner with ivy is, it is good for wildlife.
Ivy is a valuable source of food for insects and provides shelter too.
If you want to see more Robins and his feathered friends in your garden with moths, butterflies and hoverflies (that eat aphids) then having some ivy in your garden is a good idea.
Robins
…are often referred to as a gardener’s friend, they keep you company when digging or weeding in the garden.
The robin is a clever little bird enjoying all your hard work which helps it find food such as worms and grubs.
If you like seeing birds in the garden then having a wide variety of food sources is important including winter flowering ivy and the holly berries.
Create places for them to shelter and nest in the form of trees, shrubs and hedges and remember to provide some water in the garden.
Water brings life, and helps to encourage birds to visit us.
Try holding off tidying up your garden, until late winter/early spring, then you, and the wildlife, can enjoy the seedheads of spent flowers and grasses.
Tips to enjoy the outside mid-winter
I love foraging for materials from the garden to make Christmas decorations, bringing a bit of the outside in as part of our seasonal celebrations.
It’s a good excuse to get out into the garden in the winter.
If the weather is just too miserable then enjoy watching the garden from the window, observe the changing light and look to see what feathered friends you can find.
Winter is also a good time of year to plan a garden.
You can see the structure of the space you have, and observe what works and what changes you would like to make.
Planning it now in the winter will help you look forward to warmer sunnier days.
If you need a bit of help to plan your garden, then get in touch, we provide a garden consultation service.
