Washing your trees during winter can make your garden look more colourful, Royal Horticultural Society claims
- Scrubbing down the trunks with soapy water can reveal trees’ true beauty
- RHS polishes silver birches at its Rosemoor garden in Devon to reveal shine
- Birches, Tibetan Cherries also have bright bark that can be washed
It might sound barking mad, but giving trees a wash during the winter months can make your garden more colourful, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has advised.
It says rubbing down trunks with a sponge and soapy water can reveal their natural beauty and make up for the lack of foliage.
The RHS polishes the silver birches at its Rosemoor garden in Devon to reveal the shiny bark.
They are then lit up with a ‘vibrant red light’ at night, as part of the garden’s winter illuminations.
The RHS polishes the silver birches (file image used) at its Rosemoor garden in Devon to reveal the shiny bark
Project leader Jonathan Webster told The Daily Telegraph: ‘During the darker days of winter we all need our gardens to shine bright to help lift our spirits.
‘Trees with coloured bark are great at doing this. The Himalayan birch with pure white ghostly trunks are a sight to behold against the dark winter landscape.
‘We have given them a wash with a sponge and some soapy water, without doing this their wow factor would be lost.’
Other species like cherry can also be spruced up during the winter months.
‘Birches and Tibetan cherries have wonderfully bright bark, which shines during the grey, winter months,’ said Tom Brown of West Dean Gardens in Sussex.
He says a glossy finish can be achieved using a soft brush and soapy water to remove algae.
