麻豆约拍

The Holly and the Ivy

When they are both full grown

Of all the trees that are in the wood

The Holly bears the crown...

The words of one of our most famous carols which place the holly and the ivy centre stage as the quintessential plants of the season.

They鈥檝e been gleaming out from hedgerows and woodlands for an eternity, their tenacious shiny foliage and impossibly bright berries singing out when all else is bare and forlorn.

I went to Rowallane gardens in Saintfield recently (one of my all- time favourite places) to talk to Head Gardener Averil Milligan about growing them well in a garden situation and I couldn鈥檛 have picked a more perfect winter morning.

It was cold, crisp and atmospheric, the drive into the gardens now revealing more of the lie of the land, since the laurels were removed to let in more air and light.

First a warming cup of coffee in Averil鈥檚 cosy office, which overlooks a working yard at the back of the nursery. In summer the birds have a whale of a time feeding at the window where Averil happily spoils them with plentiful supplies of seed, but on the day in question the only bustle came from the garden team who were heading back out to prune and tidy, to the industrious soundtrack of the leaf-blowers.

Then out into the grounds and we began not too far from the office, by a gable wall at the back of the main courtyard where a buttery green, large leafed ivy climbed the wall and softened the stone. A little further away a fence post was beautifully camouflaged with a small-leaved, fine-veined ivy twirling and curling from bottom to top and beside it a sprawling holly bush, its happy companion.

They both just looked right, growing free and left to their own devices.

In a garden setting both can of course be tricky to handle. Hollies are awkward if you don鈥檛 show them who is boss and ivy will happily make itself at home where you don鈥檛 want it.

But Averil had ideas and suggestions for managing them well and for varieties to grow to bring heart to the garden during the dark days when the light is low and branches are bare.

The garden in winter wouldn鈥檛 be the same without their vivid gloss and hearty green and neither would the house as they make essential Christmas decorations for the mantle or the room.

You can see how Averil has used holly, ivy and other vibrant winter foliage to do just that in the picture gallery. But if your talents don鈥檛 stretch to floral art, a fine bunch of holly in a big vase or a ribbon of ivy threading its way along the mantle-piece will do the creative trick just as well.

And on that note, thanks to you all for listening (and reading) throughout this year and from all of us on the Gardeners Corner team may we wish you a very, very happy Christmas.