Cooperative Living January 2019 - 14

GardenMuse | Story and photos by Paula Steers Brown, Contributing Columnist
L
ooking out the window in winter, we
see bare limbs that only recently were
covered in leaves gleaming like jewels.
Nature rests in January to gather energy
for the next cycle of exuberant growth
and color. This downtime invites close
observation; a fresh look at disrobed trees
with a new appreciation for their linear
beauty. Distinctive branching patterns
are now visible - the forking bough,
the kink in a limb, the corkscrew curl of
thickened vines provide visual interest.
Subtle differences in the colors and
" Williamsburg broom " : If you have Scotch
broom or other thick sticks, lash a tight
bundle onto the end of a long, straight
branch to form a natural broom.
textures of bark from smooth gray to scaly
brown, blistered copper to peeling white
are now apparent and appealing. As we go
about the tasks of cutting back shrubs and
perennials, putting the garden to bed,
examine the sticks you collect and consider
ways they can be reused practically and
decoratively in the garden and in the home.
Out in the perennial garden or vegetable
patch, sticks can be shaped into natural
plant supports, providing a pleasing design
for the bare space before their very practical
structure is needed to hold up the growing
plants. Teepees are traditional supports for
pole beans and are simple to form: Just place
the ends of the sticks into the ground in a
circle and secure the top tightly with twine.
Sticks woven into a simple grid and tied
off by twine in the corners can form an
attractive vertical divider in the garden
that can function as a trellis
for tomato plants or
flowering vines; the grid can
also be placed horizontally
on top of limb standards
in four corners of a rectangle
to support rows of plants
that might otherwise
flop in wind or rain
at their maturity.
Peonies look much
more beautiful with
natural supports than with plastic or metal
ones. Just save pliable twigs or thick vines
and cut them into 1-yard segments. Bend
each length into a U-shape, and push the ends
into the ground to secure. Place several
of these in a circle, overlapping to form a
half-dome support about a foot off the
ground above the tender peony shoots.
Bending twigs in a semi-circle and
stretching them out in a line where each
curved section slightly overlaps the next
forms a pleasing scalloped low fence or
divider in the perennial bed. Are you good
at weaving? Try a wattle fence. Use two
sizes of sticks, thicker ones for vertical
supports and long, thin ones to weave in and
out of the uprights. Weave the first row in
and out of the vertical sticks, then alternate
the pattern outside to inside on the next row.
Hanover County woodturning artist
Barbara Dill operates Two Sisters Studio
and Gallery, a sylvan haven in Rockville,
Virginia, that is full of inspirational ways
to use natural woods. Her specialty is
multi-axis spindle-turning, but her artful
Natural stick trellises lend an interesting design feature and practical support. Seen here as (from left) a vertical divider, a horizontal grid and
a tepee.
12 | Cooperative Living | January 2019
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Cooperative Living January 2019

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