exuberant planting in
betchworth

Brief

The brief was to create a planting scheme for this steeply sloping garden in Betchworth. A highly sustainable design and build of bark chipped paths edged with timber wind their way down the garden through generously sized borders.

Design and outcome

The newly created borders were all ready for planting when I first visited the garden and I relished creating a planting scheme for them. As suggested by my client, the planting plan followed a colour scheme of cool whites, blues and yellows for the upper banks, down to a palette of warm oranges, reds and plums for the lower borders with a light see-through screen of grasses for the lowest border.

Swathes of Euphorbias, Geums and Tulips start the drama at the start of the season then in summer they give way to exuberant drifts of Heleniums, Persicaria and Penstemons, offset by the acid greens and yellows of Alchemilla mollis and Sesleria autumnalis.

Grasses throughout the borders complement the perennials and at the lower end of the garden, together with Verbena and Phlomis, provide a delicate screen to the garden beyond.

Nandina, Cornus and Buxus punctuate the borders to provide structure and interest during winter and rings of tree trunks felled from the garden feature in a naturalistic way.

The beautiful sculptures, placed strategically, have a backdrop of ever changing foliage and colour.

''We thoroughly enjoy the planting scheme that Nancy has created''

Mr T, Betchworth