Oh the weather outside is delightful and moaning about winter is frightful - so before you tell me to go - let it snow - let it snow LET IT SNOW!!! - LJN Blog Posts

Winter is well and truly here and with it comes a cool beauty like a Hitchcock blonde, weaving her icy magic and seducing the lovers of winter with her shining diamonds and beckoning soft duvet of snow.

I know most British people find Winter a drag and every time we get a snowflake, the cold air is marred by miserable faces and grumbling voices echoing their spells of disenchantment. But winter can bring magic and beauty especially at the moment when we are blessed with good old traditional Christmassy weather.

And what better place to see that magic than in our very own gardens! This is the time that it pays to be a lazy gardener, leaving all those seed heads and dead perennial flowers means that you will have a winter wonderland of a garden when the frost finds them. Grasses, fennel, poppies, thistles, achillea, verbena – all make great canvases for winter’s fine art.

Shrubs and trees which carry berries are another great choice to create your winter wonderland – not only are they beautiful but they will also help the birds stay happy and fed throughout the hard weather.

For a little bit of colour try planting some mixed helleborus – these will glow like velvet jewels during the late winter and add a touch of mystery to the winter garden.

Winter flowering shrubs are another great choice – not only beautiful but often delightfully scented – creating a wonderful experience for a moonlit wander around your snow laced garden!

So next time you feel yourself about to moan about ‘the dreadful weather’ think instead of the beauty you can be a part of in either your own garden or a public park. Don’t shut the winter out – welcome her and she will welcome you with more magic than you’ll know what to do with!

-Jane

"You got membrane under the hardcore?
I wouldn't put any less than 150mm to 200mm hardcore under on clay.
I've heard this is a problem this year. I haven't seen any effect sofar.
I've only done one patio with a step this year the sucker hasn't…"

"I think a few guys have experienced this, possibly ground heave. I've had a Patio I laid 6 years ago do a similar thing. It's a difficult one, because if you followed all the correct guidelines for your install, what do you do?
After an incredibly…"

I would love to hear if anyone has had an experience of paving being pushed up because of the hot and dry weather this summer. We have had a number of patios where this has become a problem (a couple we laid ourselves and quite a few more where…

Comments

Eric Walker December 6, 2010 at 4:52pm

I managed to get the car out on to the road today after 10 days, filled up with petrol & paid the council tax.Later I struggled 100yds up the garden through deep frozen snow with 2 buckets of rubbish for the compost bin. On the way down to the house I wasn't thinking how beautiful this is, more like I wish this bugger would go
chris nangle December 6, 2010 at 8:30pm

Its been frozen solid for two weeks at my shropshire workshop, at the moment im making some large carved memorial benches 500.mm thick and wide and 3 meters long, the logs are frozen solid all the way through chainsawing is heavy going.
outside carving all day today at -8 the other morning it was was -13 .
Ofer El-hashahar December 6, 2010 at 9:02pm

I came back from a week in israel it was 30c there- so great. (the israelies actaually complained that they have no water and that the summer does not end)

but when I came back on thursday, I missed the last train so stayed the night at the airport, at 4:00 am i think it was -18c or so. very cold at 6:00 I got to my car and only at 7:00 arrived home all cold and shaky.

I actually find the weather ok this year- I got used to these temp I guess. 3 weeks ago I spent 5 hours in the fast water river practicing with the fire brigade - swift water saving.
Giles Landscapes December 8, 2010 at 9:47am

Good on you for carrying working and doing positive things!! Surely this weather is better than the usual boring, damp mild durge we normally get at this time of year! I'm going to start and a cold weather appreciation society! Who's with me?... anyone???