The Gardener's Diary
In the latest instalment of The Gardener’s Diary, Head Gardener, Chris Inchley, shares an insight into what’s happening in the garden this month and offers expert advice for the season ahead.
The days are colder, the daylight shorter and the evenings longer, yet the garden continues to offer many highlights as its structure becomes more defined.
One of the most striking features is the rockery, now fully revealed after the summer growth, which shows the remarkable skill that shaped this dramatic landscape.
Many plants still bring colour and interest through the darker months:
Cotoneaster horizontalis forms delicate layered branches covered in bright red berries, and Callicarpa bodinierii offers clusters of metallic purple fruit that stand out on grey days.
Nandina domestica brings deep red new leaves that brighten the borders, while evergreens such as Euonymus fortuneii Silver Queen and Emerald Gold keep their bold variegation all year.
Several plants continue to flower despite the colder weather:
Mahonia x Charity produces tall spikes of yellow blooms, and Hellebores brighten shady corners with soft whites, pinks and pale yellows.
The rockery Ericas are also opening with pink and white clusters, while Sarcococca confusa remains a quiet treasure, its tiny flowers filling the air with a lovely scent near Christmas.
Winter is also the season when stems take centre stage:
Cornus and Salix varieties glow in low light, giving structure and colour when much of the garden rests.
Cornus alba Westonbirt shines with polished red bark, while Cornus alba Spathei Aurea gives summer variegation and deep red stems throughout winter.
Cornus stolonifera lights the water’s edge with bright yellow stems, Salix alba adds vivid orange tones, and Cornus sanguinea Winter Flame flickers like sparklers with glowing tips.
Across the herbaceous borders we continue cutting back old growth, lifting weeds and forking the soil to leave a clean and even surface for winter.
This is also the perfect time to take hardwood cuttings from Cornus and Salix, as both root very reliably in winter:
Cut stems about the width of a pencil and around 30cm long, then place them halfway into the soil and leave them undisturbed until spring.
They can also be propagated by layering, which involves pinning a low branch to the soil until it forms roots and can be lifted or left in place.
Wet days have made several paths slippery, so we will treat the paving with algaecide to ensure visitors can move safely around the garden.
This year we have planted a record number of spring bulbs, creating strong displays for the months ahead.
Fifteen thousand snowdrops now line the woodland walk and should f
lower in February, while two thousand five hundred tulips in pink, orange and apricot shades fill the parterre for April and May.
We have also added more dwarf daffodils to the rockery to bring early bursts of colour as the garden begins to wake.
It has been another busy and rewarding year here at Kilver Court, and it has been a pleasure to meet so many gardeners who visited us.
Thank you for your support, and we wish you a very merry Christmas as we look ahead to welcoming you in 2026.
