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Dogwood and willow
Posted by: Pippa Greenwood, 20 December 2007, 09.18AM
I sometimes wonder if I have worrying tendencies towards pyromania. I love bonfires, adore fireworks and find nothing more soothing than a log fire. And when it comes to the garden, my pyromania continues in a horticultural fashion.
I adore the stems of dogwoods and willows. Every time I see the classic fiery red, orange or yellow winter stems my heart sings. I love them so much they may be responsible for me having an accident in my car one day! Near my home are several roundabouts with fantastic displays glowing away gorgeously in the winter sunshine. I think they attract my gaze for just a bit too long.
I did plant a few dogwoods in a patch at the bottom of the field, and despite the local rabbit population, the stems are starting to look quite good.
But, as gardening logic would have it, the winter stems that are by far the most gorgeous are those we temporarily rooted in the middle of my kitchen garden. They are still there, stunning but huge, and a family debate rages as to whether they belong to my partner (who obtained the cuttings) or to the kids and me (who obediently took the cuttings and planted them out to root). They could end up in another patch in the field, or be turned into a living arch, depending on who wins. But I'm starting to fear that they may soon take over the rhubarb patch!
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jellicoe
24 February 2008, 08.03PM
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