New Trends for Shade

Stumperies make a comeback

As in fashion, gardening trends come full circle and things that were popular in days gone by make a reappearance on the scene. The latest gardening trend to make a comeback is the displaying of plants on logs, roots, stumps and bark, known as a stumpery. Dating back to the Victorian era, stumperies were chosen to display precious specimens collected by the plant hunters of the age, who travelled far and wide in search of new species to bring back to their countries. They were especially favoured for displaying plants like ferns, making this a useful tool for the sometimes difficult, shady areas of gardens.

Some of the more famous stumperies can be seen in places like Biddulph Grange in Staffordshire, England, which is considered one of the first stumperies; at High grove House, in the Prince of Wales’ magnificent garden in Gloucestershire, England; and on Vashon Island, Washington State, America, where the stumpery is an impressive 840 m2 and contains more than 90 tree stumps.

The idea behind a stumpery is to make use of tree stumps, logs and bark to create an architectural display, then to fill crevices and the surrounding ground with plants to replicate a woodland, which provides nutrients for the plants as the wood rots and supports a habitat for fungi, bacteria and wildlife. Ironically, a dead tree can support more life than a live one.

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