Time for a health check

It's surprising what a few years can do to a garden.  When I first started this client's garden it was one muddled mess and to be fair, very poorly maintained and no thought whatsoever regarding successional planting. This was a picture during the first year. The roses and leaucanthemums had just finished flowering and that was it for the rest of the year. I should also add, there was nothing prior to the rose display either.

As each year passed I was slowly but surely getting more colour introduced and a greater succession of interest; tulips were one of the first introductions that bridged the gap.

Even in mid-October, the border is still providing a colourful display. Ornamental grasses playing a huge part for autumnal interest, lasting well into the winter months. The tall, bleached erect stems of Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' is a really fab plant and one I would use more often if the conditions allowed. 

Brown, assumed dead...and great

Brown is still viewed as a pretty dirty colour to the masses but having introduced ornamental grasses to many gardens along with perennials that give strong structure after their flowering period, brown can still play a significant part in the diversity of a border.

In this picture the silky feathers of Miscanthus 'Abundance,' the tired domes of Phlomis russeliana and the flat heads of Sedum 'Herbstfreude,' provide a perfect trio and will go on feasting the eyes for weeks to come

Such a pretty little thing...don't ya think

In a shady spot, nestled under a philadelphus and flanked on one side by Adiantum leauticum Imbricatum and on the other Epimedium pinnatum colchicum is Begonia grandis evansiana. One might think this position is rather dry for this little beauty but fear not.  Each year it has a light mulch and each year I can enjoy the delicate flowers and attractive foliage from August right up to the first frosts. Once this happens it will wither and disappear underground, only to return next year with a few siblings in tow. At around £4.00 to £5.00 per bulb it's fair to say it's not cheap but once positioned, you will soon see a return for your investment.

Hello Beth

Earlier this year I tried a poppy very much championed by Dixter and I later noticed its use at the Cheslea flower show. A tricky seed to source to say the least. However, move forward a few months and I now have my own stock of Beth's poppy (Papaver dubium subsp. leqoqii var albiflorum).

A little late with my autumn seed sowing but better late than never. 

An elegant lady

It's very satisfying when some seeds were sown back in February and are now in full bloom. This year's 'coup de coeur' is Persicaria orientallis, otherwise known as 'Kiss me over the garden gate'. These beautiful pink, drooping tassels really add an unusual lift to your borders and I'm sure will have eyes turning by those curious onlookers.

I have however, had some misfortune.  Whilst some plants have really reached for the stars (at least 6 foot), one or two others have looked weak and not grown above 2 foot.  Maybe I didn't pot them on when needed? Certainly worth trying again next year where I hope it will provide an even greater spectacle and increased curiosity.

It's the real thing

Having just returned from a summer holiday in Florida, I was surprised how many flowers I noticed that we try and grow here in good old blighty. One plant, in particular, that stood out was tibouchina. I'd seen one or two in pots at both Gravetye Manor and Knoll gardens and always thought - 'what an eye catcher! After a year of deliberation, I was able to locate one from Great Dixter nursery.  Sadly, despite the reasonable summer weather we've enjoyed, I fear that I planted it up in a pot that was initially too big and the potting medium needing more drainage.  It's still alive (just) but having seen these beauties in Florida I'm left a little envious.

Colour in August

August can be a pretty difficult time to rely on shrubs for some colour but one group of plants which must hit the top spot, or thereabouts, are hydrangeas. Probably not in fashion with many due to poor maintenance but if properly pruned and subsequently fed they give so much pleasure.

One of my favourites is the furry leaved Hydrangea villosa.  Fergus, from Great Dixter, kindly gave me a cutting a few years a go and it now fills a shady corner of a clients garden. Its luminescent flowers provide a stunning, dazzling effect and is a magnet for bees; invariably too many to count.

If you haven't got a hydrangea in your garden, maybe you should reconsider.