Although tropical planting has given new impetus to hard-pruning tree species for large leaves, the practice of coppicing goes back a long time, being a traditional way of managing woodlands. Coppicing means cutting to close to ground level and allowing the cut tree stems to sprout again. In the past, it was used especially with hazel, beech and hornbeam. These species, and others, such as ash, respond to pruning by producing new stems, some of which outgrow the main bunch. After 10 or 20 years, the stems are cut out and the process recommences.

The technique can be used for ornamental purposes too but with different objectives, and more frequently. There are two objectives. The first is to produce out-size leaves by exploiting the fact that the largest leaves are produced on the youngest, most vigorous shoots. The second objective is to reduce the size of a garden tree that might otherwise out-grow the space available to it, especially in a small garden, or close to a house. Coppicing is done at any stage of the dormant season, November to March. The existing tree, single or multi-stemmed, is cut down to between 15cm and 40cm off the ground.

The star foliage plant of tropical-style planting is the foxglove tree or paulownia. Allowed to grow to full size at about 10m, it covers itself with clusters of pale-lavender foxglove-like flowers. When coppiced, the flowering is foregone and all the tree’s growth goes into one or a few stems with huge leaves, as much as 50cm across, and it can grow to over 2m in a growing season, and again cut down the following winter. Or it can be left to grow a second year, towering upright. Catalpa, the Indian bean tree, is also popular for leaf-effect coppicing, producing large 30cm, heart-shaped leaves and foregoing the clusters of white, yellow-marked flowers in late summer. The golden-leaved form is even more spectacular.

Eucalyptus is a great candidate for coppicing as it is naturally adapted to fire damage and re-sprouts in a great burst of growth. And coppicing offers a way to grow eucalyptus in gardens, because eucalyptus is just too big and not a safe tree too near a house. Coppicing forces eucalyptus to produce its rounded juvenile foliage which is prettier than the elongated leaves of the mature gum tree. A coppiced tree will give a mound of blue-green foliage and can be cut each year or less often. Although smoke bush or cotinus is usually treated as a shrub, it is a small tree with intense wine-purple or bright green foliage. It responds very well to coppicing, producing a mound of fine rounded leaves. The garden forms of elder, or sambucus, are very good for coppicing too, giving a great show of golden or purple foliage, fern-like in some varieties.

Tree of heaven, or ailanthus, has big ash-type leaves, even bigger when coppiced, reaching 1m sometimes. Poplar can be coppiced for foliage effect, notably the pink-leaved poplar Aurora, which is often seen in colour around June. Tulip tree or liriodendron, walnut and plane tree can be coppiced if the tree is growing in restricted space, as can robinia and gleditsia for light, showy, divided leaves. Aralia has large divided leaves made larger by pruning, up to 1m across. Rhus, the staghorn sumach, can be cut down to make a mound of ferny leaves, but coppicing can encourage its tendency to throw suckers, as it can with robinia and aralia, and these need to be chopped out with a spade. CL

Top-up winter heathers

Winter heathers are great for flowering in winter, and well into spring, offering some pink, purple and white flowers at a time when colour is scarce. The plants are in garden centres and can be planted now in flower for some quick interest. If you have winter heathers already, you may have found that, as they get older and spread outwards, some plants get a bit straggly and bare in the middle.

This bareness can be helped to recover from the edges by placing a layer of well-rotted compost, leaf-mould or peat mixed with some coarse sand. The compost helps to encourage new roots, which generates some vigour at the inner edges of the growing stems. The compost should be worked down among the bare stems and applying it now or in the coming months gives it a good chance to settle in before spring and roots can grow.

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Trees, shrubs and roses

Rose bushes can be pruned at any time, although some might have a few buds still that can be used indoors. Planting of bare-root deciduous trees, hedging and shrubs can go ahead during dry weather. Do not plant into heavy wet ground or into planting holes filled with water.

Flowers

It is not too late to plant wallflowers, pansies and bachelor’s buttons, or to pot up a couple of large pots with cyclamen, skimmia and pernettya among others. Dahlias, begonias and gladiolus should be lifted in frosty inland areas to prevent damage, or cover them with soil in milder areas.

Lawn

Lawn mosskiller, such as sulphate of iron, can still be applied. Moss has had a favourable autumn and will continue to grow vigorously in the coming months and can build up to levels where it becomes competitive with grass. If the soil is not too wet, an occasional mowing will keep it neat.

Greenhouse and house plants

A greenhouse frost protection heater will save tender plants, such as geraniums or fuchsias, on a frosty night. A small electric heater is cheap to buy and cheap to run. Remove all debris and dead plants and ventilate occasionally. Water very little to reduce the risk of grey mould disease.

Fruit, vegetables and herbs

In good weather from now on, dig over vegetable ground, removing old crops. Control weeds over areas of ground that will be dug over later. Plant new fruit trees and bushes. Control weeds around established fruit trees and bushes. Remove weeds from around herb plants.