Katie Rushworth: A Space for Wildlife
Katie has transformed her wellbeing garden here at Tong from the perfect place to entertain into a wildlife haven, packed with lots of beautiful textures and an array of autumnal colours!
“The most recent transformation of my wellbeing garden has seen my planting scheme go from vibrant pinks, summery yellows and warming oranges to the deep, rich shades interspersed with bright berries, interesting foliage and colourful stems that will add drama and structure to your winter garden.”
“I’ve got to say, I think it’s my best one yet!”
“Your winter garden doesn’t need to be bare and bleak – visit my show garden at Tong for lots of inspiration on how get the most out of your garden during the winter months.
Hellebores
Hellebores are one of my favourite winter plants! They come in so many different varieties, flower in the depths of winter and are great for pollinating insects when there’s very little nectar at this time of year – it really is a winter garden must!
Heathers
Another new VIP for my garden this season is winter-flowering Heathers. They are brilliant for providing nectar late in the year for our garden bees and other pollinating insects and they also create wonderful carpets of foliage, which is ideal for keeping those pesky winter weeds at bay!
Camellia
I absolutely love Camellias. They look fantastic across the different seasons with their big, blousy blooms in spring and their gorgeous, glossy foliage throughout the rest of the year – what’s not to like! They do like acidic conditions though so remember to mix in some ericaceous compost if your garden doesn’t have an acidic soil.
Pinus
Pinus is one of my new Very Important Plants – they are wonderful for winter structure and provide a fantastic nesting site for garden wildlife.
Not only that but they give your garden striking evergreen colour all year round!
