The last two Christmas Trends for 2020 or art movements, Art of Japan and Pop Art that have been curated around Christmas are more modern and a chance to have fun. They are bright, colourful with lots of lighting or metallic elements.

Art of Japan

The art of Japan is seen as a traditional Christmas scene in colours of reds and green with lots berries, mistletoe and robins all used in a more contemporary way with a hint of the Japanese. From cherry blossom to Kokeshi dolls, Japanese cats, fish and lanterns. The main colour palette is pale or jade green with reds ranging from the bright to the pink tones of fuchsia and a hint of pink (cherry blossom), along with metallics.

What is more traditional for a red and green Christmas theme than holly, some of my favourites are Ilex aquifolium ‘J.C. van Tol’ with its dark green leaves and bright red berries, or the variegated leaves of Ilex x altaclerensis ‘Golden King’, as they aren’t prickly. I also love the deep red fruits Malus ‘Red Sentinel’, they make me think winter or Christmas but having any left after autumn does depend on how quickly the birds eat them. 

Variegated holly

Mixed in with the deeper ruby wine or purple-reds that are found in the sumptuous colours of hellebores,Helleborus purpurascens or Helleborus x hybridus ‘Harvington Red’, to name just a few. Along with greens, yew (Taxus baccata) comes as hedging or topiary shapes or the scented Christmas box (Sarcococca confusa). 

Purple hellebores

To add the pink element in the Art of Japan cyclamen would be perfect around the base of deciduous shrubs or near the house scattered amongst some pots. There really is a cherry tree flowering away at this time of year (from October until April) perfect for that blossom element of the theme, if you have the space (it will grow up to eight metres). Prunus × subhirtella ‘Autumnalis Rosea’ for the pink flowering variety or Autumnalis for anyone who prefers white.

Cherry blossom

Pop Art

Pop Art encompasses artists such as the colourful paints of Picasso and Pollock, the bright prints of Warhol and the sculptures of Koons and Anish Kapoor. A Jeff Koons balloon dog sculpture always makes me smile, having seen them floating through the mist on the Grand Canal in Venice or sparkling in the sun on the top of the Metropolitan Art Museum in New York.

This theme is all about light, whether by using outdoor lighting, a string of lights to create an inviting Christmas space or lights to illuminate a path and create a welcoming entrance. Or creating light within the garden, a glade in a woodland garden, adding planting underneath deciduous shrubs for the light to filter through to in winter or opening up views where boundaries and shrubs have become overgrown.

Light Installation, Museum Gardens, York

One of my favourite ways of using light in winter is to see plants shimmering in the frost, by leaving a few seed heads in autumn, rather than pruning and tidying up every plant. Anything from grasses such as Miscanthus to umbels like cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris). In my garden I leave the grasses and a few flower heads on the hydrangea (Hydrangea arborscens‘Annabelle’).

If there aren’t any winter flowering shrubs or perennials already in the garden one of the easiest way to add a hit of instant colour is by using violas, lots of splashes of colour to cover up bare soil or make planters more interesting. The names alone make me want to grab a few trays and get planting, who wouldn’t want some sangria (Viola x wittrockiana ‘Matrix Sangria’) or a Frizzle Sizzle Burgundy in the garden! Start dotting the colours around from Viola ‘Vibrante Orange Purple Wing’ to Vibrante Wedgewood, white and blue petals that look like they’ve painted with a watercolour brush and Sorbet Phantom (purple), why not unleash your inner Jackson Pollock!

Violas

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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