Hydrangea ‘Limelight’ are looking fabulous at the moment, especially these beauties that we planted up 2 years ago in Cobham. The fairly deep border gives the hydrangeas enough space to flourish and the beautiful old brick wall gives a wonderful backdrop. Hakonechloa macra grasses and Liriope muscari border the edge. They have been cut back …
I was delighted this evening to receive these photos from my customer with the caption ‘Just look what you have created for us! We absolutely love the garden!’ The lighting gives the extra wow factor for balmy summer evenings, provided by www.lightyourgarden.co.uk . Pleached hornbeams give verdant screening and along with plenty of lush evergreens, …
A satisfying end to a busy week with the completion of this water feature: a large charred cretan terracotta pot, supplied by www.potsandpithoi.com and installed by landscapers www.harringtonbrothers.co.uk More photos to come on this newly planted garden featuring pleached hornbeam trees, Pyrus ‘Chanticleer’ screening trees, Chelmer valley pavers www.chelmervalley.co.uk , lighting and a paved seating area with …
It’s a real pleasure when clients invite me back to their garden after a few years to be involved in the evolution of it. Gardens are never static and tweaks to the planting are inevitably required to keep the garden looking it’s best. Last week we visited a garden in Ashtead that we designed 7 …
Today it really felt that Spring is here! Feeling the warmth of the sun was such a treat, but with a freshness in the air reminding us that it is still mid February. Work wise for me, although it is full speed ahead with moving shrubs around and planting hardy evergreens and trees, I am …
Witch Hazels are in flower right now and the scented, acid yellow flowers certainly brighten up a dark February day. What plant in their right mind chooses to flower now? Well the Witch Hazel (Hamamellis mollis) defies logic and goes ahead anyway – for our pleasure!
Erigeron karvinskianus is usually seen doing it’s thing self seeding in crevices or at the front of borders. Here in pots for a change it prettily trails over the edges and provides a delicate contrast to the bold leaves above. Successful combination! This erigeron is one of those particularly rewarding plants that go on flowering …
Never mind that I won’t be going to this year’s Chelsea Flower Show (it’s now sold out), I am still gleaning lots of inspiration from the show gardens of years gone by. This was the Laurent Perrier garden from 2010 designed by Tom Stuart Smith. Multi-stemmed Betula nigra trees are beautifully underplanted with Hakonechloa grass, …
Lovely combination here of lime green Dryopteris ferns and dusky purple astrantias. Perfect partners for a damp shady spot.
This variegated pittosporum ‘tree’ has been pruned to reveal the lower branches, which is a great idea. Pittosporums are bought as shrubs, and they tend to grow into rather unshapely lumps….and then keep growing to tree height! Once they get to this height, they look great pruned in this way, especially in a small garden. …