Creating a Country Garden in Oxfordshire for family and friends from a field to a garden. Garden Design and Landscaping
Colour in the Garden
The Hellebores are great little flowers that are often hidden by their leaves and their drooping flowers. Look underneath and you find this wonderful flower from the white Christmas Rose Helleborus niger to the deep dark Helleborus x hybridus ‘Blue Lady’. The Christmas Rose flowers around Christmas time and then you can have flowers right through to March/April.
These plants are easy to look after and grow well in shady conditions. Ideally plant the paler flowers in the shadier spots to light up the darker corners. The darker flowers need to be seen and they won’t be stuck in a shady corner, so semi shade for them.
Another great little winter plant is the Cyclamen hederifolium, these hardy plants make lovely swathes of colour. If you plant them in semi-shade in a humus rich location that will not dry out in the summer they will thrive. I tend to plant mine underneath Cornus or Hydrangeas where they will get the shade in the summer to protect them.
If you’re wanting something a little more blousy and in your face the Bergenia cordifolia or Elephants Ears. This plant has wavy leaves that are about 30cms long with stems of 60cms with sprays of pink flowers. They are again an easy plant to grow and unlike the two above enjoy sunshine or semi shade. There are many varities, if you prefer white flowers Bergenia ‘Bressingham White‘ or purple leaves try B. cordifolia ‘Purpurea
Or a Bergenia that many plantsmen rate is the one raised by Eric Smith of ‘The Plantsmen’.
“Undoubtedly the best for winter effect; large, rounded, crinkled leaves have polished bronze-tinted surfaces while backs, caught in low sunlight, glow rich carmine-red. 46 cm.” BethChatto.co.uk
Lighting your Garden
If you’re thinking of lighting your garden consider two things firstly there is the health and safety issue; can you actually get down steps or along your path and to a front door? Can you insert the keys in the lock without cursing that you can’t see a thing? Do you need lights for security reasons?
Once you’ve considered the functional aspects there is the aesthetics of lights. At this time of year lighting can really bring a little warmth and emphasises st ructure from lighting the path to focusing on key features. So whilst you may not want to sit out and enjoy your garden in mid winter you can still admire aspects of it and then in the summer you get to sit out and enjoy it.
Up-lighting trees is a beautiful feature, emphasizing the shape and texture in the winter where their branches reach into the darkness and in the summer evening it highlights the leaves gently dancing in the breeze. If you want to see a fantastic display of illuminated trees prior to Christmas visit Westonbirt Arboretum if you live near by.
Spot lighting some small shubs such as Cornus with it’s bold red or yellow stems adds some colour to the garden or focusing on statues where you can either throw light on the item or place the lighting behind it giving intrigue.
Lighting can give a magical element to the garden and enable you to focus on a particular object, in one garden we’ve used LED lights behind a water feature enabling it to float along the patio in the evening, where in the daylight it is a bold stone trough.
So now is the time to have a look at your garden, what would you like to see illuminated at this time of year? If you were looking out of your window what would you like to see?
Statues in Garden Design
I first really started admiring garden statues at Cothay Manor where a magnificent stag lords over the wildflower meadow. Statues in Garden design can focus the eye, enlighten a dull corner and enhance a garden.
David Harber and his team demonstrated their skill at designing and positioning statues at their show at Eaton Square where the Torus shone out in the simple design of lawn and trees adding a harmony where the shadows of the trees were brought down to our eye level. The Chalice pool, with it’s slow rotating water was soothing in the courtyard area. At the end of a hot day, dangling your fingers in felt refreshing and relaxing.
The bronze Quill was a really cleaver, illuminating the garden from it’s rather dark corner. I watched a number of people go up to look for the lighting but whilst it was gleaming in the evening light there was no electricity. The Obelisk was an absolute treat as it was placed in the shady area and was so cleverly situated as at times it was almost lost. It brought light and joy to a dark area.
The ROSY and Victory Garden inspired by Siegfried Sassoon’s poem Victory is awarded silver at RHS Malvern Spring Festival
David Harbers stainless steel Tourus is a key feature to the Garden
David Harber‘s Torus has been a beautiful piece of garden art in the ROSY and Victory Garden. The polished stainless steel Torus has brought additional life to the garden mirroring the garden beautifully. When the weather shines the fluffy white clouds are picked up in it, even in the rain the Torus has subtly reflected the garden with little pearl shaped raindrops clinging to the art adding an additional feature.
Thank you David Harber for lending me this at Malvern.
David Harber
12 Hours to Go before the Malvern Show officially opens. The excitement and focus of building a Show Garden is over for this year. We all shared the excitement of having had the judges reviewing our gardens today. So we wait to hear what the judges think of the ROSY and Victory garden, there is the anxiety, my peonies and foxgloves hadn’t flowered, but the Geraniums are the Aquelegia have what will the judges think.
So whilst the designers and amazing teams collapse in a heap and wait the Three Counties Show Ground takes on a different buzz there is a hive of activity as trade stands arrive from bulbs to vintage lawn mowers
This is a slightly surreal time as we have no work to do but are waiting for the next phase of the show to begin so I’m going to enjoy the floral marquee while I can.
Sponsors for the ROSY and Victory Garden at RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2014
28 days to go to the RHS Malvern Spring Festival and sponsorship is still required to help achieve this garden so if you are able to help please contact me and help raise awareness for ROSY – Respite nursing for Oxfordshire’s Sick Youngsters, is an organisation that raises awareness of the need for respite nursing and funds. www.rosy.org.uk
These are companies who have kindly sponsored the garden.
Hedging supplied by Ready Hedge
www.readyhedgeltd.com
David Harber for the sculpture
www.davidharber.co.uk
Turf supplied by Teal Turf
www.tealturf.co.uk/
Babylon Plant Nursery
www.babylonplants.com/
Peter Dowle Howle Hill Nursery
www.peterdowle.co.uk/
Paving supplied by
www.stonemarket.co.uk/
Tools supplied by
www.burgonandball.com/
100 years ago was the start of WW1. I have designed an Edwardian style garden with rooms and lawns. It is a celebration of an EnglishGarden inspired by Siegfred Sassoons poem ‘Victory’ when he was tired of reds and wanted to see blues and silvers.
“Return to greet me, colours that were my joy,
Not in the woeful crimson of men slain,
But shining as a garden; come with the streaming
Banners of dawn and sundown after rain.
I want to fill my gaze with blue and silver,
As you look up the path from the red garden you invited to the next room with your eye drawn to the silvers and blues leading you Betula jaquemontii representing the woods.
Like the soldiers thinking of England and home The ROSY charity helps sick children at home by offering respite nursing to terminally , acutely or chronically ill children and babies in their own homes.
Snowdrop Season
I always enjoy Snowdrops in the garden.
Early blooms in the garden add joy to the dark winter months
Did you know snowdrop collectors are called Galanthopiles, taking the name of the snowdrop “Galanthus” meaning milk white flowers.
If you want to see one of the best snowdrop collections I recommend Colesbourne Gardens
near Cheltehenham. You can wander round the grounds and see swathes of snowdrops on the banks. Or for the keener Galanthopile see the collections closer to the house.
This is a garden to enjoy the snowdrops whether en masses or right up close.
When planning a garden these small winter bulbs can be forgotten but it is all year round interest that is exciting, what will be coming out and when if your looking for a Garden Designer please fee free to contact me for a chat.
I’d love to hear about your upcoming project. Give me a call today on 0771 858 6105 or contact me via this website.
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