A courtyard garden in Oxford

May 9, 2018 by Samantha Willis

Small courtyard garden in Oxford

This courtyard garden in Oxford required a rethink, the previous bright colours had faded and it only had seating space for 1. It required a design for more seating space whilst enabling the Client to still have lovely plants to look at from the kitchen.

Courtyard garden opened up to the seating area

Logs stored under the oak bench

The garden brightened up the kitchen giving a sun shine feel

Garden accessories added extra interest to the garden

Spraysparks Gilded Lillies created extra interest to the garden

Peony Plants in your Garden Design

May 8, 2018 by Samantha Willis

Peony Plants in your Garden

Peony lactiflora ‘Boule de Neige’

A Peony is a great plant for the garden it is happy in sun and semi shade. I cannot exclude a Peony from my garden. I know people say that they don’t flower for very long six to eight weeks but they are worth it. Once the flower has passed away I also enjoy it’s leaf structure in garden. They work well in cottage style garden design or equally planted en mass in a more formal garden design.

As a perennial plant the Peony lies dormant in the ground over winter but the moment the Peony starts to show it’s lovely red leaf stems in the garden in Spring they provide excitement. Now the leaves have turned green and the buds are fattening up and promising a show.

Which Double Peonies in a Garden Design

Paeonia lactiflora was originally brought to Europe in mid 18^th century and it’s from this first white cultivar that the other varieties have been cultivated. I like the double petalled ones who’s stamens also look like petals. Paeonia lactiflora ‘Boule de Neige’, has large broad white flowers growing to about 100cm while ‘Duchesse de Nemours’ is a double white that grows to 80cm and has been awarded an RHS AGM. These white ones look fantastic in a border that has dappled shade.

The Paeonia lactiflora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ is a soft double pink. However if you’re looking for something a bit more vibrant Peonia lactiflora ‘Karl Rosenfield’ has beautiful crimson red flowers giving a fantastic splash of colour. If there is one wow factor Peony plant it has to be Paeonia lactiflora ‘Bowl of Beauty’. This one makes you stop and stare, it a double with bright pink petals with a creamy centre. Whilst it might not suit everyone’s garden I do love to see it as it’s confident showmanship, it makes me smile.

Nurseries for Peonies

Kelways nursery is one of the oldest nurseries growing Peonies for over 100years

Kelways Plants Ltd

Picts Hill, Langport, Somerset TA10 9EZ

Telephone:01458 250 521

Email:sales@kelways.co.uk

I’m sure you’re local nurseries will also sell them.

If you’re looking for a garden design around Oxford, don’t hesitate to give Samantha Willis 0771 858 6105

Honesty for a Cottage Garden Design

May 5, 2018 by Samantha Willis

Prepared by Samantha Willis garden designer near Chipping Norton.

The first signs of summer are here, birds are singing their hearts out and I’m looking at my vase of Honesty ‘Lunnaria annua’ picked on a walk this week. The result of a seed that escaped the confines of a garden. ‘Lunnaria annua’ is a lovely plant that should be considered for a cottage garden design . It has a lovely purple flower with white in the center and deep purple veins glowing to the outer petal. Unfortunately it has no smell but this doesn’t deter the insect’s interest.

I have the Lunnaria ‘Alba Variegata’ which has a white flower and variegated leaves, it’s something I inherited in my garden and I’m always delighted when it starts glowing in it slightly shady spot, enticing me out into the garden.

If you want something a little more dramatic there is Lunnaria ‘Chedglow’ which has a dark purple flower and a dark purple leaf.

Bi-annuals
These plants are bi-annuals, so after 2 years they will die once they’ve flowered. So you can either collect and propagate their seeds and plant them where you want them or let them self seed around your garden. This year I have some appearing along my path. The beautiful round paper thin silvery seed heads follow and add extra interest to the garden in the winter.

Perennials in your Garden Design
If you’d rather have something a little more permanent for your garden design there is the lovely perennial Lunnaria rediviva. This flowers from May right through to July and does have a lovely scent. As a perennial this will die back each winter but reappear where you planted it. You can purchase these on line either as seeds or plants through various specialist plant nurseries.

If you need help with your garden design in Chipping Norton or around Oxford please don’t hesitate to contact me

Nursery suppliers
The Beth Chatto Gardens Ltd, Elmstead Market, Colchester, Essex CO7 7DB (01206 822007).

Special Plants, Greenways Lane, Cold Ashton, Chippenham, Wiltshire UK
SN14 8LA (01225) 891686

Designing a Front Garden

February 1, 2017 by Samantha Willis

Are you thinking of designing your front garden?

This is the first thing people see before they step into your house. It is also seen by people walking past. So in some cases you may want a little privacy. Whatever you want though it needs to look and feel good good and to do this you need a couple of things

All Year Round Colour

Something to look at all year round is necessary for the front garden, let’s face it bear earth is not that attractive and certainly not what you want to see all through the winter. So some good evergreen plants giving shape and structure are ideal clipped Yew, Box or Holly

Lights along the path

Lights are important, if you’re returning from work the odd plant illuminated by the garden path or the windows is a cheery thing to look at. The leaves glisten in the winter rain or sparkle in the frost. e.g. Skimmia’s, giving lovely red berries or Garraya elliptica ‘James Roof’ with its greenish flowers in pendent catkin-like racemes

You’re also are less likely to trip up and can easily open your door with lighting helping you find the key hole

Scent

Adding scent to a front garden is also a lovely idea, taking away the smell of the traffic and delighting people before they step into your house. Scents can be all year round from the winter scents of Christmas box ‘Sarcocca confuse’, to the summer smells of Lavender

If you’re looking for some help designing your front garden Samantha Willis can help you make the most of it. Samantha has nursed a lifelong love of gardening which is reflected in her award-winning designs.

Based in the Cotswolds, she regularly works throughout the surrounding locations, including Chipping Norton and Woodstock. She has also produced gardens throughout Gloucestershire and Cornwall. She can help you develop a beautiful front garden.. Her services include briefs, sketch proposals, tenders and actual construction.

From design to execution, she’ll overlook the entire process and lay the foundations for your dream front garden

Gardens to see Snowdrops

January 25, 2017 by Samantha Willis

Places to see Snowdrops near Oxford

I’m a garden designer in Oxford so here are some tips for viewing in and around Oxford but check out the website for other gardens near you.

Waterperry Gardens – Oxford
Welford Park – Newbury
Colesbourne Park – Cheltenham
Rodmarton Manor – Cirencester
Stars and Snowdrops – near Banbury

Evenley Wood

How to look at snowdrops

A carpet of Snowdrops ‘Galanthus‘ is quite breathtaking but take time to bend down and admire the little flowers. Colesbourne Park grows about 250 varieties and has a lovely raised area to admire some of their varieties.

Buying and planting snowdrops

When snowdrops are ”in the green’ i.e. with leaves is the best time to plant snowdrops so take advantage of the various sales of these snowdrop collectors and enjoy your own little patch next year, planting them in a shady little corner.

Garden designer in Oxford

January 24, 2017 by Samantha Willis

As a garden designer in Oxford encouraging the next generation to garden is important to me. What better way to inspire enthusiasm than actually providing the right garden tools for children. You wouldn’t ask a child to play cricket with a tennis racket.

Plastic Tools

Garden tools for children are really important to nurture their enthusiasm in the garden. When they’re very little plastic tools and a wheel barrow are great to get the children out. Little children love discovering insects, making a mess and generally having fun. Hopefully not eating too much mud!

Children’s Garden Tools

When children are a little older a plastic spade just doesn’t work. I decided to get some decent tools and wasn’t disappointed. Burgonandball offer the perfect mini version of a spade, a fork, hand trowel and hand fork. They are beautifully crafted and a pleasure to work with. You will often see me pinching them.

With these mini scaled tools children can happily be part of the growing season. They’ll be digging the allotment, discovering the potatoes and trampling over the lettuces!

Bulldog Tools also offer the above and other tools such as a hoe which is very useful for keeping the weeds at bay

Samantha Willis is garden designer who’s designed vegetable gardens and gardens, if you’d like some help with your garden so you too can be out inspiring you’re family please get in touch.

Country Garden in Oxford

November 17, 2015 by Samantha Willis

This garden in Oxford needed a secluded patio area and shrub borders.

: Screens and Hornbeam hedging creating a secluded patio

: Planters maximising the courtyard area

: Using the paving as seating

: York stone paving and Cotswold stone

: Creating bespoke screens

Chelsea Flower Show 2015

May 23, 2015 by Samantha Willis

There was a vibrancy at RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year with is dazzling array of colours in every garden. The Homebase garden had the Geum as it’s hero, Totally Tangerine and Lady Marmalade brightened up a day threatening rain.

The Sentabale garden is a delight with it’s lush planting, and pathways that lead you to the little door that will give hope to so many in Lesotho when they step through the door of their building. If you look closely the poppy from Lesotho did come out too, a lovely little orange.

The Telegraph gardens blocks of colour looked so simple, just three plants you think when you look in a block and then you see more and more plants in the same block.

The Laurent-Perrier Chatsworth Garden was beautiful, it is true most of us couldn’t have it in our garden but it just looked right in that corner of Chelsea, surely it was permanent. Iris x robusta Dark Aura was striking with it’s lovely dark stem and a lovely white flower that sprung from the garden was Paradisea lusitanica

The Lysimachia atropurpurea’Beaujolais’ appeared on a number of gardens, the M&G garden has a lovely Gypsophelia, elegans ‘Covent Garden.

The Dark Matter garden is inspiring and I walked away for the first time in my life knowing what Dark Matter was. Science with horticulture united in a seemingly simplistic way with the rusted steel rods and vibrant lime greens, oranges and yellows. Those steel rods are not just bent any old way though they are worked out to a mm of where the scientists say it should be. I didn’t know that any school could sign up to use the the observatory’s did you? Check out National Schools Observatory

The Artisan Garden were increadible their imagination in such a small place, the Breast Cancer Haven garden was stunning and I really did want to jump onto the woven oak leaf and relax under the canopy of leaves. The Old Forge for Motor Neurone Disease Assoc was stunning too and a major accomplishment for a young female designer

Today is the last day and as usual these masterpieces will be dismantled some to be built in permanent homes so if you haven’t managed to get there enjoy the BBC programmes and book for next year in December.

RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2015

May 8, 2015 by Samantha Willis

This year, the designers battled their way through the wind and the rain ready for the opening day of the RHS Malvern Spring Festival which was fantastic. Whilst I felt the disappointment of not doing a garden design this year, it was lovely to have the time to admire the show and catch up with friends and colleagues.

The Villaggio garden deserves the best in show, the attention to detail was incredible, the water feature was carefully considered as in Andalusia the village fountain is fed from the mountain, so when it rains it gushes and the fountain is full but in the summer it is a little trickle. With the whitewashed walls, mature olive trees and red geraniums I was on holiday.

The Floral Marquees was bustling and I couldn’t resist taking home a fern from Bowdens, Matteucia struthiopteris Jumbo, it’s lime green colour and the anticipated height of 5-8ft. The collection of plants all gathered in one area is the equivalent of a sweet shop treat for children for me, a complete delight. The skill these nursery men have producing top quality plants for the show is astounding.

I also walked out with armfuls of Clematis from the 3 Shires Garden Centre, great quality and great prices and if you need supports you can find these too.

Of course there is not only the plants but the lectures, Raymond Blanc was his usual enthusiastic self and an inspiration to us all advising us to go for taste not looks with apples, Snow White chose the red shiny apple and look what happened to her! Ok well yes she did get the handsome prince in the end but that is not the point.

This year was a treat.