As more and more landscape designers move towards sustainable gardening ideas that embrace recycling and reusing, stumperies are fast catching the fancy of gardeners across the globe. They not only add an organic and natural feel to a garden, but are also an inviting habitat for toads, beetles and other creatures.
But what exactly is a stumpery? Well, stumperies are garden features made from dead tree parts—such as stumps, logs, branches and bark debris—that commonly clutter yards after a storm. While stumpersies have been around since Victorian times, they had fallen out of favour thanks to the trend for manicured and organised lawns and gardens.
Now, with the world looking at natural ways of life, they are back in vogue again. And besides stumps, contemporary stumperies now feature driftwood, railway sleepers, old floorboards and just about anything you would otherwise have thrown away.But as the name suggests, the main feature here are the stumps. Invariably, stumps are displayed upside down to reveal their intricate root structures. And although stumperies are traditionally planted with ferns, most other shade-loving plants can be used here. In fact, encouraging moss and lichens to grow on the rotting wood is de rigueur.
Here’s how you can plan your own stumpery: The first step is to clear the area you intend to design. Second, you need to find the plant material. This may be as simple as walking on a beach to gather driftwood, or as complex as hiring a crew to bring in huge old snags and root masses. Next, prepare the area by weeding and adding mulch or compost. The fun part is laying out the logs and other materials. Stumps have lots of crevices that make perfect pockets for plants. Fill these pockets with compost and soil, and just tuck in the plant’s root ball after first wrapping it in sphagnum moss.
One of the simplest ways of using stumpery in gardens is to make a stump planter. Carve out the inside, leaving a wall around to contain soil, and drill drainage holes in the bottom of your stump. Add organic matter, like compost, and plant ferns or other moisture-loving plants. The stump will stay wetter than a glazed pot, and you can encourage moss to grow on it by painting it with yogurt or a moss slurry. Once established, the effect is quite charming and has fairyland appeal.
It’s all about arranging the wood artistically, some gardeners even create fun tunnels, walls and arbours—think of a hobbit strolling through the elven woodland Lothlorien, and you get the idea. So, let your imagination run riot and add whatever special accessories you wish to add to your stumps.