This may be hard to believe just now as we look outside our windows to leafless trees, yellowing grass and bare soil, but with only a few days to go before the big one, everything we need to brighten up our Christmas will come from, yes, you’ve guessed it, the garden.
The one thing we probably all want right now is the vaccine but as far as I know it isn’t plant based so it’s not that. And as special a place it is, the garden isn’t going to provide us with the much sought after latest game consoles we’re all struggling to get for the kids, but maybe that isn’t a bad thing as we all know being outdoors is much better for us.
What the garden does give us is all the floral decorations to brighten up our homes and all the trimmings for my favourite meal of the year.
The main feature in the house at this time of year is clearly the Christmas Tree where many of us, including myself, opt for a fake tree. Being able to reuse for many years you can’t get more sustainable than that but one year I will get a real one like the eight million others of us that are sold from UK Christmas Tree farms.
A few weeks ago members of the British Christmas Tree Growers Association were reporting a bumper start to the season where if the trend continued nearly 2 million extra Christmas Trees could be sold. Time will tell if this is a reaction to Covid restrictions or a continuation of a new found connection with the outdoors for many people, clearly I would love it to be the latter but either way I hope this will help garden centres recoup some of the losses they had at the beginning of the year.
Not many of us have a big enough garden to be able to grow and harvest a regular supply of conifers but you could try growing a Christmas tree outdoors in a pot, bringing it in for the festive period. Conifers don’t overly like being grown this way so you may only get a few years from the same plant, it will help by bringing the container indoors as close to the big day as possible keeping inside no longer than the 12 days of Christmas. Move on to the next sized pot early spring using a John Innes number 2 soil-based compost.
I do like the rustic take on wreaths using twigs from birch trees or twisting together the coloured stems of dogwoods which as a plant in your garden stands out on its own at this time of year. As much as I like them I’ll always be drawn to the more traditional style where if your lawn is anything like mine there will be an abundance of moss for making your own, just comb out what you need with a spring tine rake whilst tidying up your lawn at the same time.
All the plants you need for decorating them can be picked from home – a nice variegated ivy growing up your shed, a few sprigs from your evergreen holly, bluish-grey foliage from your Leylandii hedge and finally a few cuttings of fragrant flowers from your Skimmia which a planting of this near a path or door is just what you need during winter.
The owners of garden centres and plant nurseries aren’t daft, their stands will be full of such plants like these just now so get out there and get your garden stocked up.
There’s not a veg for your Christmas Day plate that you can’t grow in your own garden either, such satisfaction can be had for the price of a few packets of seed. Varieties of main crop potatoes can be stored over winter to be used for the big day though you can get some for planting out in August supposedly perfect for harvesting Christmas Day.
I’ve tried this but even with my wee glasshouse to grow in I’m glad I wasn’t relying on them. I do fancy having another go at it sowing them a bit sharper next time.
Brussels sprouts are the best
Although carrot and parsnip can be tricky they are well worth growing your own for the better flavour you’ll get. I remember being so chuffed with myself the first time I was able dig out and use a parsnip from the storage clamp in the corner of my allotment I had made, a pyramid made with the root veg, covered with straw and soil.
Finally the most contentious vegetable of them all, you either love or hate them, the Brussels sprout. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM!!! The thought of putting one on the end of my fork, slicing in half then dipping in gravy before devouring it with a bit of stuffing and a pig in blanket – I’m struggling to find the words here, I just can’t wait.
I’m also proud to tell you that I actually hold the record in the Cunningham family for eating the most Brussels sprouts at a Christmas meal, managing 35 back in 2003.
Christmas to me is taking proper time out to spend with the ones we love most, it’s clear to see just how much of loving and understanding family I am lucky to have…
Brian Cunningham is a presenter on the BBC’s Beechgrove Garden and head gardener at Scone Palace. Follow him on Twitter @gingergairdner.
