Hello Everyone,

Have you heard of a Stumpery before? I hadn't until I came across one at a recent garden show I went to. Tres charming! I thought I would follow up and write an article - I am certainly going to make one as I am lucky, I have a patch, an uprooted tree stump, some old-and-ugly-still-useful containers to hide behind ferns and an idea I can't wait to try.

Let us know what you think.

Read on:

Stumpery Charm

Cheers now,

Do love Stumpery...although didn't call it that, it was just a pretend untamed bit in the various gardens.

Large logs, surrounded by different creeping plants that also crawl up and over them, different seasonal bulbs, wild flower seeds, then allowed to naturalise. Such an interesting feature at any time of the year, always gives the feeling of a piece of forest somehow.

Insects and small wild animals always love them, for birds they seem to end up as a never ending buffet :D, and one log actually grew fungi, which was a bit of a surprise, no idea how that happened...

Hi there,

It seems to be coming back in a big way (though for some families and generations it never left!). When I was reading around for the article I came across a charming piece about Prince Charles and the huge area that has been left to 'stumpery', probably at Highgrove. Apparently it is organised chaos and quite wild and lovely. Prince Phillip, on seeing it, wondered around, couldn't see what was what and is supposed to have said something like "So when are you going to burn this lot then?"

Be still my heart - all that lovely mix time and 10-star accommodation for the insects! Well, I hope Prince Charles just smiled and found use for another log somewhere.

I am not sure that stumpery is good for the balcony 'garden', but it is a place to put some interesting and exchangeable pots if you have a garden, and dappled to deep shade.

Cheers now