The winter garden often looks drab, unloved and uncared for – the blaze of summer and autumn plants has dried and withered leaving a sorry tale of what came before. Most of us abandon the garden in the winter months in favour of the warmth of the fire inside reading books and endless reality TV programmes! Take a look around you – I think you will find that there is plenty going on in the garden, so don’t just sit and wait for the daffodils to appear take a look at what is already brightening up your garden this winter.
Entries Tagged as 'Garden images'
Garden Design | Nothing happening in the winter garden?
January 21st, 2012 No Comments
Tags: Bath · Chippenham · enjoy · garden design · gardening · Plant · snow · striking display · weather · Wiltshire
Gardening | Garden Design | Plants looking good – Verbena bonariensis
August 2nd, 2011 1 Comment
Verbena bonariensis is a design favourite. It fits well in to many types of planting scheme and isn’t too fussy about its position. It prefers a light bright sunny aspect as befits a plant that originates from Buenos Aires (bonariensis – and you thought that plant names were confusing!)
Tags: Bath · Chippenham · garden design · gardening · Inspiration · low maintenance · Plant · striking display · sunshine · Wiltshire
Gardening | Garden Design | interesting plants – Eryngium tricuspidatum
July 19th, 2011 No Comments
Firstly the elaborate structure of the stems and leaves create a mesmerising pattern rising up from a flat pad of dark green leaves that look as though someone has etched the veins in a titanium dioxide rich white paint. The plant is semi evergreen and sends up these wonderful spikes of flower heads in the summer. They dry out and can provide good winter interest too. The second reason that this particular plant was smothered in the bright red soldier beetle which has acquired the name Hogweed Bonking Beetle! These bright red creatures spend most of their life doing – well – it!! They even feed and fly together and are seldom found alone. This summer the conditions seem to have been absolutely perfect for the beetle which has been seen in large numbers. The larvae are soil dweller and hunt for snails and other insects
Tags: Bath · Chippenham · garden design · gardening · Wiltshire
Garden Visits | The Veddw
July 14th, 2011 1 Comment
Visit to The Veddw I had made a point of not researching the garden before arrival so knew nothing about what to expect. The standard for the day had been set by our earlier visit… It is fair to say that as a garden designer I find the challenge of designing a garden for yourself is not always the easiest challenge so how had Anne & Charles fared?
The site in Monmouthshire near Tintern Abbey borders the Chepstow Park Woods might be described as challenging but you can see immediately that it has potential. My first impression was how well the garden blended with its surrounding environment, drawing you from the garden to the open landscape.So have Anne and Charles created a garden worthy of merit? Does their Borders Idyll stand up a as garden that deserves any accolade? They have managed to do a number of things very well, including making it personal, having respect for the history of the site, incorporating it in to the landscape and stamping their own very indelible mark upon it. They make no excuses for it. But don’t take my word for it and don’t look at the pictures and pass judgement. Gardens are for visiting in the flesh. Be prepared to be challenged. This is not ‘just another garden’ garden. I look forward to returning.
Tags: Bath · Chippenham · garden design · garden visit · gardening · Tim Matcham · Wiltshire
Gardening | Garden Design | great plants – Campanula sarastro
June 8th, 2011 No Comments
Campanula ‘Sarastro’ – one of many wonderful Campanulas but somehow this is the daddy of all the bells! Large dark purple-blue flowers with a slightly unreal waxy appearance that start to appear from May onwards.
Tags: enjoy · garden design · gardening · Inspiration · low maintenance · Plant · Soil pH · striking display
Gardening | Garden Design | Inspirational Gardens | North Court
April 29th, 2011 No Comments
My family are all keen gardeners which made the decision to earn a living from my gardening knowledge fairly straightforward. Setting up as a Garden Designer on the outskirts of Bath brings back memories of past generations who shared my love of the garden. Last weekend I was lucky enough to return to a garden that probably is the greatest influence on that passion.
The gardens are at North Court in Shorwell on the Isle of Wight.
I hope that I have captured some of the spirit of these wonderful gardens and that it helps explain my passion for gardens and gardening – I feel very lucky and am delighted that they are in such safe hands now. I am already planning a return in the Autumn!
Tags: enjoy · garden design · gardening · Inspiration · Paeonia mlokosewitschii · Plant · Sissinghurst · Soil pH · striking display · Vita Sackville-West
Gardening | Garden Design | Bee Crazy for Sunflowers!
July 7th, 2010 5 Comments
Hampton Court Palace Flower Show is a huge event but one area particularly caught my eye! …allow me to introduce the Sunflowers…
Gardening | Garden Design | Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2010
July 5th, 2010 4 Comments
This was my first visit on press day – with thanks to The Garden Network I was able to gain access and enjoy what is billed as the largest flower show in the world featuring the Best of British Horticulture.
As the billing suggests this is one mammoth show and so much to take in in one day – so much so that it will be difficult to do all the exhibitors justice – but I’ll make a start and add further thoughts later!
The show gardens normally define the show, but at Hampton Court they form only one of many varied garden themes and styles. So was there a strong theme that ran through the gardens? – well if there was I couldn’t detect it! Variety providing the spice of life. What was interesting however was that there were two notably different approaches to the show gardens.
Tags: garden design · Garden Network · gardening · striking display
Gardening | Gardens | Visit to the Green Dock by the Thames Barrier
June 30th, 2010 6 Comments
The element of the Green Dock that I had particularly come to see however was the large rectangular formal garden with ribbons of topiarised Yew hedging trimmed in undulating waves running the entire length of the garden, crossed overhead with angled walkways.
Tags: development · garden design · gardening · imagination · Inspiration · sunshine · value
Gardening | Gardens | Tulips at Hidcote Manor with Head Gardener Glyn Jones
May 12th, 2010 3 Comments
Every year the gardeners at Hidcote plant around 14,000 Tulips and as soon as they finish flowering they dig them all (well nearly all) of them out to make way for the summer planting. Why do they dig them out?
Everywhere you turn you can see how this Arts and Crafts garden of ‘rooms’ has been influencing gardens and garden designers ever since.
Tags: enjoy · garden design · gardening · imagination · Inspiration · Plant · striking display