The Perfect Plant: evergreens

As winter approaches and perennials and grasses begin to droop, this is a good time to look at the ‘bones’ of your garden, those formal shapes made from evergreens. In these pictures we have Viburmum tinus (the lollypop shapes), Buxus, and Rosemary which combine in a musical way to make this area along the outhouse a real focal point all through the winter.

The Rosemary serves to give the heavy bulwark of the box columns in the background a sprightly boost, and in between the gaps at ground level are silver catmint that have grown so profusely over the summer they are now just lying around looking beautiful, languid and spent. So as autumn strips the branches of their leaves, which have fed them sunlight all summer, the evergreen shapes in your garden come into their own.

Garden fact: Did you know that scientists have discovered why leaves rustle in the wind? They did some trial experiments where they stilled the movement of leaves, and found that they were were attacked by hungry insects at a much greater rate than the trees where the leaves were allowed to rustle …

Do you want to see weekly images of beautiful plants and flowers I see in the gardens each week? Subscribe to my blog via the website: http://gloriousgardenssussex.co.uk