Every year John Lewis come up with themes based on the latest trends around which to style your house for Christmas, many of which could be equally applied to outside and a chance to make the most of your garden in winter. This year the seven themes are Campfire, Garden Retreat, Snowscape, Traditions, Sanctuary, Party and ABC, some of which lend themselves to outdoors more than others. I’m not sure I’ll be blinging up my garden for the Party theme …

Snow covered holly

I may be biased but Garden Retreat is my favourite theme for 2019, based around shades of green, flora, fauna and days in the garden. There is something uniquely fulfilling about spending time outside on a cold, bright winter’s day, particularly with a hot, steaming mug of coffee or hot chocolate. I love going to gardens that are open in winter for inspiration and wandering around with hands clasped round a hot mug of coffee to warm them, this is the time of year when gardens are pared back to their architectural bones with a hint of what’s to come. A chance to re-evaluate whether the garden as a whole is working for you and an opportunity to add colour to make it a truly all year-round space.

Sarcococca confusa

There are plenty of opportunities for greenery throughout the winter, whether considering evergreen hedging or topiary from box (Buxus sempervirens), to yew (Taxus baccata) and holly (Ilex aquifolium). For the less formal and welcome addition of scent there is always the appropriately named Christmas box (Sarcococca confusa) with its small mid green leaves with tiny white scented flowers that definitely punch above their weight. They will fill the air as you open the door on a crisp winter’s morning. And to add some additional colour also come in purple stemmed varieties (Sarcococca hookeriana) included Winter Gem, perfect for squeezing into a small space.

Cyclamen

To add in the flora element there are plenty of flowering plants around at this time of year from violas in a whole rainbow of colours that are perfect for brightening up planters and cyclamen in shades of pink and white ideal for dotting around deciduous shrubs to add a hint of colour. The larger flowered hellebores  have colours to suit any garden from the green tinged Helloborus argutifoliusto the traditional white Christmas rose (Helleborus niger). The brighter white with pink freckles Helleborus × hybridus Harvington ‘Pink Speckled’, Helleborus orientalis‘Red Lady and the purple ‘Blue Lady’ are just a quick skim of the varieties out there.

Hellebores

If there is space for a new shrub or two and the winter season is the one that would most benefit from additional colour daphnes have a wonderful fragrance, Daphne bholua‘Jacqueline Postill’ (grows up to four metres high) or in smaller spaces Daphne odora(grows up to 1.5 metres), both are strongly scented with delicate pale pink flowers, flowering from January to February and sometimes into March (although best grown in sheltered spots as they may need protection from frosts). Daphne odoraworks well planted in partially shaded areas, the edge of a woodland or near overhanging trees. Many viburnums flower during the winter, Viburnum tinushas tiny pink flowers and makes a great backdrop with its deep green evergreen leaves to colourful perennials the rest of the year, ‘Lisarose’ has deep pink-red buds opening to pale pink or the pale pink of ‘Eve Price’. Or where you want the flowers to be the star attraction Viburnum x bodnantense‘Dawn’ has highly scented deep pink fading to pale pink flowers on bare branches.

Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’

The final element of the theme is days outdoors, including cold frames and greenhouses perhaps a chance to add one to your Christmas List if you don’t already have one and there is a spare suitable space. Cold frames are easier to house in small gardens and come in a whole range of prices and styles, I love mine for overwintering more delicate plants and growing seeds in. Failing that there are always the greenhouse ornaments, you could hang one off the tree as a hint!

About the Author

Camilla Grayley is a garden designer based in York, mainly working in and around Yorkshire but has travelled up and down the UK to design gardens and is always happy to travel to help clients with their gardens. I love creating gardens with strong architectural outlines softened by voluminous planting that draws on year round interest, ensuring there is something to capture the eye whatever the season. Gardens should always evoke all the senses from the colour palette on the eye, to the rustling of plants swaying in the wind to the amazing perfumes that can be inhaled, whether on a summer’s evening or the depth of winter.

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