Victoria County Master         Gardener Association

GARDENERS' DIRT

Stumpery areas add artistic flare to gardens

October 30, 2020

by Nancy Kramer/Victoria County Master Gardener

Edited by Suzanne LaBrecque/Victoria County Master Gardener



PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER NANCY KRAMER

Master Gardener, Nancy Zaplac and her husband Buddy, added interest to the Zen area at Victoria Educational Gardens by hauling in a large tree limb left by damage from Hurricane Harvey.  She used various succulents, planted into nooks and crannies in the old tree limb. The log resembles a dragon or other creatures when you see it. 

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER NANCY KRAMER

Betty Friedrichs designed this stumpery idea area in the Ornamental Grass Mini Garden at VEG.  The upcycled oxygen bottle wind chimes, built by Ed Gregurek, have been in the area since 2007 and Betty added beautiful, colored pieces of driftwood to blend in with the chimes.  She also added a wood edge with an old ladder with a red light on it.  

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER BRYNN LEE

Years ago an orchid tree froze in the bird area of Victoria Educational Gardens.  It was cut off in places to create little platforms for bird houses. The browns and greens blended in well in the bird area, and then our master gardeners had fun adding colorful, whimsical birdhouses to the stump. It was fun to keep the tree stump, trunk and branches as a work of art for a few years as it decomposed. It has since been replaced with a PVC “tree stump” painted green.

OTHER STUMPERY IDEAS FROM CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

Photo contributed by retired extension horticulturist and popular garden speaker Felder Rushing

Biddulph Grange Stumpery was the earliest documented traditional stumpery constructed in Staffordshire, England in 1856.  It was built using oak tree stumps configured on top of each other to create spaces for ferns and other plants and formed walls bordering pathways, archways over paths and other features which attracted wildlife such as birds and other small animals and decomposers.

(Please visit this link to see more stumpery photos:  https://felderrushing.blog/tag/stumpery/)



PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER BRYNN LEE

One of our master gardeners, Betty Friedrichs, collected some interesting driftwood, so she “planted” them in a container and placed it as an accent in the Ornamental Grass Mini Garden in VEG.  Some gardeners might think they could even kill those!  Betty’s creation makes me think of a rugged cross.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER SUZANNE LABRECQUE

This wooden cross carved out of an old stump is found along the walking trail between Miori and Ben Jordan in Victoria.

One log at a time, Victoria County Master Gardeners create artistic ways to demonstrate stumpery concepts at Victoria Educational Gardens. Traditionally, a stumpery garden uses stumps, logs and pieces of wood as its main feature. It can be an excellent habitat for shade-loving plants and organisms to come to life as dead things decompose and produce nutrients. Many stumpery areas are created simply to add artistic flare and to upcycle pieces of wood. Rocks may be added as in a rockery.

The stumpery garden popularity began in 1856 when the first English stumpery garden was documented. It was expansive, filled with oak stumps and a huge collection of plants and ferns from around the world. Recently many large public gardens have dedicated large areas to stumpery gardens. Locally, the Victoria Educational Gardens has several examples of ways to use stumps to enhance the landscape.

Draw up your design
Like many projects, it is best to draw up your design on paper. Consider where it will be located and which plants will thrive in your new stumpery. You want to plan as moving some stumps can be labor-intensive. As time goes on, toads, lizards, birds, squirrels, insects, pollinators, worms or decomposers such as fungi, bacteria, or even moss and lichens should start making themselves at home in your stumpery area.

Preparing the basics of your stumpery

• Remove all unwanted vegetation, add a thick layer of black and white newspaper to retard weeds and then cover it with garden soil and mulches.

• You can combine rocks with wood to outline or edge the area.

• Be sure to have a water supply close by for wildlife and plants.

• You may also want feeders for birds.

Wood items for the basis of the area

• Have fun searching for stumps and try to be artistic in their placement, so it doesn’t just look like an old pile of wood for a bonfire. I read that Prince Charles had a stumpery garden created at Highgrove House after a huge Lebanon cedar died. When his father, Prince Philip, saw it he asked when they were planning on burning it.

• When a tree dies or is removed, you can cut it back and leave the stump in the ground as a landscape feature.

• Hollowed-out stumps can be planters. Make them using a saw to cut and chisel out pieces. Be sure to add a drain hole.

• Stumps make good garden seats and benches.

• Round wood slices of trees cut can be used for edging or pathways.

• Driftwood with interesting shapes and old wood boards can be artfully placed and will add interest to your stumpery.

Plant ideas to use

• Ferns are a great choice as most of them stay small and grow well in the shade and in shallow soil.

• Succulent varieties are versatile and low-maintenance.

• Bromeliads can be attached to pieces of bark or wood and placed among the stumps or in stump planters.

• Begonias add color and variety and can be placed artfully among stumps, branches or logs as focal points.

Ideas that might inspire you

• Frozen tree cut back with birdhouses placed on branches.

• Interesting tree limbs or driftwood arranged in containers.

• Wood pieces collected in special places you’ve been to and mixed in with other upcycled items or rocks.

• Attractive old tree limb with places hollowed out for succulents.

• Artfully designed wooden crosses, made of stumps, boards, cedar posts, etc.

• Wood pieces with eyes, nose, and mouth added to them to create a face.

Hopefully, stumpery gardens intrigue you. Do come to the Victoria Educational Gardens to see our master gardener stumpery creations. You will be glad you did.

The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Victoria County. Mail your questions in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901; or vcmga@vicad.com, or comment on this column at VictoriaAdvocate.com.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER NANCY KRAMER

Wooden benches are carved out of trees and used for seating in the Garden at Incarnate Word Convent.  They are mixed in with large stones.