Re: Gardens in Winter / new member.
Hello Arnhild,
I certainly enjoyed hearing about your garden and look forward to reading more
as time goes by.
While I know of no others posting to the list from Norway, I do have 2 other
gardeners I write that are on other lists, and garden in Sweden. While not exactly
in your backyard they are in your neck of the woods... or at least that is how I
think of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Please feel free to correct my ignorance if I
am too far off the mark.
While considering shrubs for the winter garden I think of Coralbark maple,
Chinese Withchazel, deciduous holly. The evergreen holly is located on the north
side of my home in landscaping. We have been cutting limbs for decorating the
house.
Japanese gardens are favorites of mine for the concept of space and use of
rocks. I do not follow the basic principles all that closely in my own garden, but
rather try to filter through my own needs and desires.
Please do tells us more of your garden and country when time is available..
Gene Bush Southern Indiana Zone 6a Munchkin Nursery
around the woods - around the world
genebush@otherside.com http://www.munchkinnursery.com
----- Original Message -----
From: Arnhild Bleie <abbl@ONLINE.NO>
Sent: Sunday, December 19, 1999 2:43 PM
Subject: Re: [SG] Gardens in Winter / new member.
> Hello all shadegardeners
>
> This is my first longer letter and kind of intro to you, but I have been
> reading your list for a while. I subscribed this list because I am looking
> for good advises and discussions on plants growing in shade - and that is
> because lot of my garden will be a shadegarden.
>
> And this garden is in Norway - Hardanger - at 60 degree latitude north in a
> fjord at the SW coast, rather mild coastal climate during winter thanks to
> the Golf stream. Summer are also typical coastal - not so warm and dry as I
> wish!
>
> When I read Gene's mail today I felt now is time to say hello to you.
> Because for me too gardening is not only a summer thing. And I already had
> that walk Gene asked about when I read the emails :) ... it is dark here
> now I am some hours before you in time... well I say you, I don't know
> where the members of this list lives .. maybe there are other norwegians
> here too? or other european?
> Most of my garden is rather young, some only form this summer, a lot
were
> destroied few years ago so we had to replant. I live on a fruitfarm, with a
> fjord going north south, high mountains with a glacier on the top, steep
> landscape, and very close to a little river, that gives the garden a
> special life all the time.
> Right now we have winter in Hardanger too - typical is that it change a
> lot during winter between rain and snow - but right now a bit snow and with
> beautiful weather that looks pretty - so today I had a walk around and took
> a lot of picture from my wintergarden, the waterfall with ice, siluettes of
> decidious trees, evergreen with snow on, the birds, overviews ...since a
> lot of garden is replanted and new I like to take picture to follow it
> through years - see how it change. I like it now, but I must say I really
> am looking forward to spring .. there will be so much new to look at!
> Bulbs, hostas, Rhododendrons, all very very small plants ..since so much
> had to planted I bought them on wholesale to make it possible all of it ..
> will start to make my own plants from now.
> And the soil I covered with moss - what is more natural for shade - at
> least it is here in our forrests. And I suppose I have fell in love with
> Japanese gardens too .. anf got some moss idea from those. Well I didn't
> see the moss to day, but I do think it is a good protector also for frost?
> I can't imagine my garden without a 'winterface' too - and that means
> making it 'green' with a lot of different evergreens and conifers, and
> using different colours of these. I don't have so many thing in flowers -
> if any - in flowers right now. Well - I have 10 different very small plants
> of heathers - springflowering - and some of them chosen because will start
> flowering early - means January - but with 15 cm snow I didn't see them to
> day - they just arrieved this home some weeks ago! Together with some new
> hostas and some groundcoverplants for very very steep hill - Trifoilum (red
> leafed).
>
> Gene - you asked: what did you see?
> ...that could make me start on a book! maybe I shouldn't! because any
> conifers and special dwaft are interesting. And I like to combine them with
> decidious shrubs/trees could be with braches with red or green/yellow
> colour (Cornus), or with special formed branches like Salix matsudana
> 'Totuosa' or Corylus avellana 'Contorta' ...and that will soon have flowers
> .. and I have and like very much the dwaft maples also in winter. Or what
> about the Larix and the Alnus, both with branches full of cones, that I
> tried to make silouette photos of, but didn't look so nice through the
> camera.
> I have some others evergreen than Rhododendron like Skimmia japonica
> 'Rubra' - very beautiful - and YES - now I rememeber that one has flowers
> or at least very nice bud at his time! Hedera - old one with flowers yes.
> Ilex - like best variegated ones I think. Birds taken all berries! But what
> fasinate me more and more of my evergreens is Hebe! Sure this will become
> more of in my garden...and on my wishing list is also Heleborus!
> So this was my walk today...
>
>
> Arnhild - in Hardanger/ SW coast of Norway
