Winter pots

 

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I stopped by to see Andrea Brunsendorf, head gardener at the Inner Temple Garden the other day. Her display of pots is amazing in spring and summer, and in winter she keeps the display going with evergreens. Any pots that are filled with bare earth or planted with bulbs are covered with pieces of conifer. Andrea says this is common practice in Germany – it’s too cold for many types of winter bedding, so the conifer pieces make pots and window boxes look more attractive in the chillier months.

Andrea says that the conifer cover has the added advantage of keeping the Inner Temple’s cat out of the pots. It doesn’t fool squirrels, though…

11 thoughts on “Winter pots”

  1. I would recommend using fresh conifer branches, because you prepare your tulip pots at the beginning to mid of December and at that time you probably still enjoy your Christmas tree indoors. This year, I have just used the left-over branches of Abies nordmanniana, most attractive, that I used to make the Christmas wreath for our Potting Shed door at the Inner Temple Garden.

    Reply
      • Hello Veronica

        Hope all is well dear. Fascinating stuff that Andrea has written about the pots. Was wondering
        what to do with me left-over Abies normanniana branches. Thanks Andrea.
        Oh Veronica I’m not 100% at the moment. Had a bit of an accident dear. Cannot believe it happened but it did. Well my grandson invited us over for dinner last week so of course we went. Was lovely to see him and his family again. His wife Isobel Matilda Camilla Maria Monolo is Argentinian. We never used to get on , probably because of my views on the Falklands, but since then we’ve somehow managed to put that first meeting , which ended with her throwing a pan of paella over our car as we drove away , behind us and become ‘Amigos ‘. Still find the greeting difficult tho . Usually get tongue twisted by Camilla. Anyway so we went over theirs for dinner , which was lovely , but when we were leaving I had the terrible accident. Jack , my grandson , had bought Isobel Matilda Camilla Maria Monolo a Manuka ball for her Christmas present. You know , one of those big blow up exercise balls. Jack had put it outside in the hallway to make space whilst we were there because the Manuka is quite big. Anyway when we were leaving I went out of the door into the hallway first , fell over the manuka ball and tumbled down the stairs.
        It wasn’t anybody’s fault. The manuka ball had rolled away from the wall where Jack put it and positioned itself right outside the door next to the stairs. Could have happened to anybody. I was just unlucky to be the first one to leave. Oh well. Can’t be too upset about it dear. Doctor says I’ll probably have to be in plaster for about two months. Could be worse I suppose.

        Take care Veronica
        lots of love
        Miss Coates

        Reply
        • Oh, Mrs C! I don’t think I know anyone as accident prone as you! Falling in the Thames, falling down stairs… you’ll be getting a visit from social services at this rate! I do hope you’re putting your feet up and making a good recovery. More people are now reading your comments than reading my blog so maybe you could write your memoirs while you’re housebound! x

          Reply
  2. Darn! Before I read to the end, I thought this might be the perfect anti-squirrel wheeze – and a whole lot easier then spending hours burying layers of wire netting over the bulbs, as I did back in November. Seems not. But the effect looks really lovely, all the same.

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