Embracing Seasonality

Seasonality is all about keying into the ever-shifting rhythm of the garden. Even in winter, when the flowers of high summer are a distant memory and the rain is here to stay there is plenty happening both over and underground.

'In Japan, they have 72 micro-seasons in the classical Japanese calendar, each lasting around 5 days,' Dan Pearson explains. 'If you look, if you're gardening somewhere on a daily basis, you can actually see the changes happen during each micro-season. When an apple tree comes into bloom, for instance, you've got those very distinct windows where the buds will swell, then the first ones will pop, and before long, you'll find the whole tree is in blossom.'

'For me, winter provides a welcome respite from the frenzy that summer brings with it.'

There's a simple joy in engaging with your land wholeheartedly. Come spring, before the growing season really takes off, the white blanket of snowdrops fade, giving way neatly to the first of the primroses and daffodils. Only this immersion into the continuous change of the seasons allows you to fully appreciate the beauty of seasonality.

‘It’s about understanding how to embrace the quieter periods and pauses of the seasons and enjoying the bared-back pristineness of winter,’

Dan suggests planting a combination of structural shrubs, such as tropical willows, which will come into catkin very early on in the season and provide an early interest. Leaving the garden to stand in the winter and not cutting anything structural back too early until February will maintain hibernacula for insects and provide an uninterrupted pathway for animals through the land. Dan recounts that at Hillside, his garden in Somerset, they have worked hard to relax the land, creating a nurturing, rather than dominating, part of the landscape. Dan's efforts at Hillside have resulted in a garden malleable to the changing seasons, achieving a balance and biodiversity that led to the garden becoming self-sustaining and healthier.

By learning to love the various seasonal syntheses of your garden, you will begin to understand and form your own horticultural rhythms. 'It’s about understanding how to embrace the quieter periods and pauses of the seasons and enjoying the bared-back pristineness of winter,' says Dan.