We are in hazel heaven. Next weekend we have been invited by a school in North London to curate a day, along with a crowd of enthusiastic volunteers, to build coppiced hazel structures for their woodland area. We are planning hazel heart backed bench, a den with canvas peep holes, a silver birch bolt hole, an arboretum arch. Entwining it with honeysuckle and jasmine. and single petaled cream, thornless rose  Woven hazel fencing around a magical fairy garden filled with violas and feverfew and a climbing thornless, cream single petaled rose. A sambucus nigra to complete the look, and let the magical adventure begin…

Talking about wooden arches, it’s that time of year when all garden designers start to use the words, ‘winter structure’. Fruit trees, in our world, is an important part of structure. We say, how about training fruit trees with a difference? Fanned, cordoned, etc, fruit trees are really flexible. How about planting pear cordons trained on arched hazel rods to create a lovely structure? Creating stunning allees of trained fruit? Pruning wineberries to form interesting winter shapes? Designs of cordoned fruit can create stunning entrances, division and silhouette.

Lots and lots of great projects this month, from designing a seaside themed front garden in a close of town houses, to creating care home wildflower garden.

And of course, it’s harvest time. This very weekend sees us making sloe gin, crab apple jelly, fennel seed roasted veg, and a soup with 8 garden harvested veg. Bon appetit!