What’s looking good in the garden

When it comes to colour and lighting up the garden, it is hard to beat the flaming stems of Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’, it catches your eye up close or from a distance. A favourite way of using it in larger gardens and parks seems to be use it to under plant birch with plenty of Cornus. The stark white bark of the birch is made to stand out against the orange and pink of Midwinter Fire, whether using traditional trees or multi-stem shrubs in smaller spaces. Something that would be easy to replicate, on a smaller scale in most gardens, using a multi-stem birch with three or five Cornus.

Garden Trends for 2025

Wellbeing has become increasingly important in recent years, something spending time in nature can really help with, being surrounded by greenery, going for a walk or sitting outside and enjoying time to recharge. Increasingly a wellbeing space is something that is being considered in the garden, something as simple as adding a coffee space, perhaps a bench or seat amongst the borders that is just for you. A place to have a coffee, while gathering your thoughts for the day or just to inhale the scent of the surrounding plants. Incorporating a yoga or meditation area into the garden is something that more people are thinking about. Often by carving out an area of the lawn or designating a decked area to roll an exercise mat onto. Then by planting around the chosen space, adding a few shrubs to create the feeling of privacy and perennials in muted colours for a calming effect.

Biodiversity: Considering biodiversity and creating a space for wildlife will continue to be important for many gardeners. Ranging from including pollinator friendly plants, particularly blue and purple flowering varieties that encourage the bees. To leaving a few piles or leaves for insects to overwinter in or adding a bug hotel or hedgehog house. This actually runs nicely alongside another trend for this year, untidy gardens. One that is all about leaving a few leaf piles and letting the plants flop onto the lawn or path. To create more spaces for wildlife and reduce maintenance time, a win for everyone.

Climate resilient planting: It has become more noticeable over the past few years, that some stalwarts of the garden are becoming more susceptible to pests and diseases, with the warmer, wetter weather we are having. Particularly box plants (Buxus sempervirens), that can succumb to box blight or be attacked by box moth caterpillar. The RHS garden has at Wisley has an area dedicated to growing alternative topiary and hedging plants. A really useful resource, being able to look at how they are coping with everything the weather throws at them. Another useful resource that I’m looking forward to going back and visiting is the new Mediterranean garden at Beningbrough Hall (a National Trust property). There they have used more Mediterranean plants that prefer warmer summers. They have also planted into gravel and looked at ways to improve drainage.

Outdoor living is still set to be a key trend, creating rooms within the garden, whether wanting a dining or lounging area or even an outdoor kitchen. The later are more than a barbecue, almost mirroring the indoor version, with large grills, pizza ovens, fridges, the options are almost as varied outside as in.

Garden Aftercare and Development

This is more of a reminder or a to do list for myself, of the tasks that I need to remember to complete:

• Prune apple and pear trees: A dry day in January is the ideal time to prune freestanding fruit trees (not walled trained). I noticed with all the warm and wet weather we had last year that several of the apples were suffering from brown rot While still on the tree. So I want to take out one or two of the branches of my apple tree, to open it up more. This should help with air flow and hopefully reduce the chance of more apples succumbing, if we have the same kind of weather this spring and summer. I also want to give it a formative prune, to bring more of the original shape of the tree back and stop it from escaping over the fence into the neighbouring garden.
• Sow seeds: Every year I aim to get ahead with sowing seeds, particularly sweet peas, often end up filling pots and trays at the last minute. This year I have my packets ready to go, I’ve chosen a few different colours to enjoy. They can be sown under glass in a greenhouse, or put on a window sill until the weather is warm enough for them to go out into the cold frame, before finally being planted out. This is all part of my plan to grow more cut flowers this year but they are equally good for filling in spaces in the border, while waiting for any shrubs or perennials to reach their full potential.
• Remove hellebore leaves: Any tired or damaged hellebore leaves can be removed, particularly where there are buds, to let more light in for the flowers to bloom. I removed a few leaves in December but it is worth checking the remaining leaves and making sure that the flowers have space to bloom.

Camilla Grayley is an experienced garden designer, speaker and writer based in York. She designs gardens and delivers garden consultancy services for clients in Yorkshire and across the UK. Get in touch if you’d like help planning your garden for 2025 on 07887 926095 or info@camillagrayleydesign.com