Garden Stories
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These include:
Trees are not the only source of leaf colour in the autumn garden. Many shrubs pay their way at this time of year: Euonymous alatus, a deciduous cousin of the better-known variegated Euonymous varieties, turns deep pink...
The ancient Persians called it ‘a messenger of the garden of souls’, medieval kings adopted it as a symbol of power and nobility, and today we offer it as a love token. The rose is arguably our most popular flower, and its range of colour, scent and habit make it indispensable...
Easy to grow and easy to prune, the nodding blooms of spring-flowering clematis give a real lift to the spirits after a dark and dreary winter...
After the exuberance of summer and the fiery shout of autumn, winter in the garden is an altogether quieter affair. A time of rest for those show-stopping perennials, it’s now that the more subdued performance of winter leaf colour takes centre stage. For large, exotic-looking, glossy green leaves, Fatsia japonica ...
A garden is not just the sum of its plants. Good design always includes good bones - the permanent structures which complement the planting. Winter is a great time to cast a discerning eye over your garden’s basic structural elements: buildings, seating, walls, pergolas. These add focus and interest at all times of the year, but especially ...
What a difference a handful of fresh herbs makes. If I had no garden at all, I’d still make sure I grew them in pots on my window-sill, for their fragrance, for their colour, and most of all for their ability to make my cooking appetising...
Whether your garden is chic city courtyard or sprawling country acre, an essential element to embrace is water. Deep in our collective psyche water has a powerful link to life and wellbeing, and its presence has a profoundly calming effect on us...
We have garden features on a diverse range of owner-maintained gardens in the UK. An example of a willow-weaver’s garden follows...
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autumn foliage
Trees are not the only source of leaf colour in the autumn garden. Many shrubs pay their way at this time of year: Euonymous alatus, a deciduous cousin of the better-known variegated Euonymous varieties, turns deep pink, and some of the Viburnums, including V. lantana, V. opulus and V. plicata ‘Mariesii’, can colour well given good weather conditions. Fothergilla major is one of the most reliable shrubs for autumn colour. Related to the witch-hazel, it rewards a sunny position in acid soil with glowing yellow and coppery-scarlet foliage. It also bears scented bottlebrush flowers in the spring...
For the remainder of this garden story, contact us.
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roses
Trees are not the only source of leaf colour in the autumn garden. Many shrubs pay their way at this time of year: The ancient Persians called it ‘a messenger of the garden of souls’, medieval kings adopted it as a symbol of power and nobility, and today we offer it as a love token.
The rose is arguably our most popular flower, and its range of colour, scent and habit make it indispensable in any plot, from the smallest patio right through to our grandest stately homes. As well as the ubiquitous modern tea and floribunda varieties, you can choose from arching ramblers with shell-pink blossoms, blowsy, romantic shrubs, or delicate species with single or semi-double flowers..
Although Britain has always been home to native hedgerow briars, the first garden roses didn’t appear here until the end of the 11th century. Many species are of Asian origin, and arrived tucked into the packs of crusaders and pilgrims. One of the earliest of these was Rosa gallica var. officinalis, the Apothecary’s Rose; a striped variant of this was dedicated to Fair Rosamund, mistress of Henry II, giving the flower its common name of Rosa Mundi.
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spring clematis
Easy to grow and easy to prune, the nodding blooms of spring-flowering clematis give a real lift to the spirits after a dark and dreary winter. The word clematis comes from the Greek ‘klema’, meaning vine-like, and these wonderfully decorative ‘vines’ add an essential vertical element in spring to small and large gardens alike.
Although traditionally grown up trellis as specimen plants, the smaller varieties of clematis are better suited to weaving themselves in and out of more sturdy companions: wisteria, ivy and climbing roses are ideal. These afford protection to the often brittle young shoots, as well as creating additional interest throughout the year. For vigorous species, chain-link stock fencing is good and strong, and disappears surprisingly well into brick or flint - in any case it is quickly covered by exuberant growth.
Pruning a spring-flowering clematis couldn’t be easier
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winter foliage
After the exuberance of summer and the fiery shout of autumn, winter in the garden is an altogether quieter affair. A time of rest for those show-stopping perennials, it’s now that the more subdued performance of winter leaf colour takes centre stage.
For large, exotic-looking, glossy green leaves, Fatsia japonica takes some beating. In November it thrusts up unlikely spikes of white flowers, followed by black berries held on white stems, but it’s those great finger-shaped leaves which really count. It looks tender, but isn’t. Just give it a position reasonably sheltered from the wind. Another shrub with architectural foliage is the Mahonia which has spiky, pinnate leaves and, a real plus for the winter garden, panicles of yellow flowers.
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garden structures
A garden is not just the sum of its plants. Good design always includes good bones - the permanent structures which complement the planting. Winter is a great time to cast a discerning eye over your garden’s basic structural elements: buildings, seating, walls, pergolas. These add focus and interest at all times of the year, but especially through the winter months when the garden is stripped to its bare essentials.
The majority of garden structures are functional as well as ornamental. Walls and fences are possibly the most important of these, creating boundaries and dividers, shielding private spaces from public eyes. When planning a major element like this it is vital to take into account the overall feel of your plot. If your house is built of old, weathered bricks, then a new, sharp-edged wall may well look out of place. An alternative is to use recycled bricks, or choose another material altogether, such as wooden fencing, or hedging. The latter is, to my mind, the better option - have you ever heard of a hedge blowing down?
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For the remainder of this garden story, contact us.
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edible herbs
What a difference a handful of fresh herbs makesIf I had no garden at all, I’d still make sure I grew them in pots on my window-sill, for their fragrance, for their colour, and most of all for their ability to make my cooking appetising, even to my picky teenagers.
Herbs have a long history of use. In Ancient Greece, sweet marjoram was often wound into headdresses and garlands for brides and grooms. By the middle ages, monastery herb gardens were a rich resource for medicinal and culinary plants. Then, as now, herbs were also highly valued for their aromatic properties, and garden thyme (Thymus vulgaris) was almost certainly used as a strewing herb to ward off the plague. Thankfully, we have less need of this application nowadays.
Growing edible herbs is quite painless. In general they require no more than a patch of poor soil, some sunshine and the occasional rain-shower. You can even raise them in pots, or a window-box.
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For the remainder of this garden story, contact us.
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water features
Whether your garden is chic city courtyard or sprawling country acre, an essential element to embrace is water. Deep in our collective psyche water has a powerful link to life and wellbeing, and its presence has a profoundly calming effect on us.
A tranquil pool full of reflected sky, a gently bubbling fountain, or a haven for crested newts and damselflies? It is important to think about the kind of water you have in mind before you start, as your requirements will be quite different. The simplest of pools made from a preformed fibreglass shell will support a variety of aquatic plants, but add a shallow shelf around the outside and you immediately increase your range to include marginals such as irises and water buttercups.
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small gardens in the UK
We have garden features on a diverse range of owner-maintained gardens in the UK. An example follows…
It’s not often you see a chartered surveyor with his sleeves rolled up, pounding a stake into the ground with a post-hammer. Robert Yates is one of a rare breed of men who has not only turned his back on city living, but has also gone back to his roots to embrace a traditional rural craft as a way of life. Robert is now a willow-weaver, travelling the country and beyond, creating high-quality, bespoke fencing, arbours and a range of other structures.
Evidence of his skill is abundant in the garden which, together with wife Susie, an artist, sculptor and teacher, he has established in just six years on low-lying marshland next to the east coast. Accessible only by a bumpy private road, their new house faces across a serene curving pool onto willow beds where Robert grows the raw materials for his trade.
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For the remainder of this garden story, contact us.