HOW like a winter hath my absence been
From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year!
What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen!
What old December’s bareness everywhere!
William Shakespeare, summing up December in his Sonnet 97, seems have failed to see the beauty that surrounds us in the last month of the year. Not that I want to re-write Shakespeare!
The holly is a tree with berries that reflect the light and add colour to the dark days of Yule. This is one reason why people bring it into their homes – but it has another significance as well.
Christian symbolism connected the spiny leaves with Jesus’ crown of thorns. The berries became associated with the drops of blood shed for humanity’s salvation. This is related in the Christmas carol The Holly and the Ivy.
Holly berries also feed garden birds, as all berries do when winter sets in. Others are pyracantha which are available with berries in several colours. One berried shrub can support up to 300 species of creatures including birds, moths and butterflies and many invertebrates.
One point to remember: holly needs to harvested in order for it to continue producing its red berries. It will continue to berry for a few years with out being pruned. But growth will eventually become leggy with a few leaves and a lot of long bear stems behind, and if pruning with in this area of bear stems, growth will not come it will just remain with bear stems. The method is to prune into a region with green leaves both before and after where you make the cut. Flowering growth will then continue to be productive of berries depending upon the type of year.
In 2024 holly all over Britain had a poor year in berry production – whereas 2025 we are seeing a bummer year with messes of berries. Pyracantha likewise are also full of so many berries.
Its somewhat difficult to ascertain why this should be so variant? Looking at the evidence 2024 was a very wet and at times cold summer, whereas 2025 was totally the opposite with summer getting going in May and not stopping until late October. Looking futher along, my estimation, for what its worth is we could get a wet and relatively mild winter, as it always evens its self out, as it was so dry and now we are now seeing with a lot of rain.
One aspect of concern is butterflies have not recovered from their decline of recent years. It was hoped that the hot summer would have helped, but the evidence points to it being just too hot for any great improvement. But let’s do our best by leaving an area wild.
Our Gardener of the Month is Martin Popplewell. He and I worked together a students of horticulture in the 1970s. After which our paths took different directions within the trade. Martin formed Bluehill landscape design, and I myself as a gardener working within designers at various times.
One thing Martin and I always agreed on was that when developments were being planned, horticulture should be incorporated into schemes right from the start at the very and not just a few bits of add ons afterwards.
For years an years our desires came to nothing. But in relatively recent times our desires have finally been achieved.
Peter’s book offers tips on gardening and reflects on his career as a professional gardener
Bradford has has taken a lead with the City Park, and has become the template for councils all over Britain. The scheme was named winner of the Excellence in Place Regeneration Award at the Landscape Institute Awards, which celebrate outstanding landscape planning and design.
This has given Martin and I great satisfaction to see what we knew all along put into practice. But more of Bradford City Park latter.
There’s still time to plant spring flowering bulbs such as tulips and Narcissus. There are bargains to be had when buying in December. Many shrubs can be pruned in winter but be careful of not pruning spring flowering shrubs like forsythia, which flower on second year growth, otherwise winter pruning will cut all the flowering wood off. It is a common mistake many people make when all the leaves have gone, pruning the spring flowering shoots off. Try to remember which trees and shrubs are spring flowering.
I know it is hard to know which to prune. If in doubt – don’t. Try to remember the rule ‘prune after flowering’ and you won’t be far wrong. Prune climbing roses now, removing diseased or damaged growth and tying in any new shoots to their support. Prune older flowered side shoots back by two thirds of their length.
The key to all growth is the answer lies with the soil; look after your soil, and your soil with look after you. So I apply farm yard manure ever so often, it keeps up the fertility, holds moisture and nutrients which is the basis of good growth. Make sure it dug into and not just spread out on top, it needs to react with the land.
Brussels sprouts and leeks now having been frosted will have a fine taste on your Christmas dinner, after which have a look through seed merchants’ catalogues to see what you are going to sow in 2026. Remembering what was successful and what was not, and it not try to think what went wrong, If you can work that out your gardening will go upwards and onwards in 2026.
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