A mass of blooms

June is all about the mighty rose this is the height of the rose season and if you are lucky enough to have the space then a mighty climber or rambling rose can be a show stopper! From a mass of colour up the façade of a large barn to a romping rambler over a crumbling garage, these roses are goliaths and add drama and romance to the June garden.

Dramatic arches

The difference between Climbing and rambling roses: Rambling roses normally only flower once. They have clusters of blooms in bunches. They produce long lax stems of growth, they are very vigorous and very tough putting up with even dry shade, doing well planted up trees to ramble over. Climbing roses,  normally have single roses, or small groups of flowers, growth is upright and there are climbing roses in most of the rose groups, Noisette, English Roses, Tea Roses, Bourbon and Hybrid-Tea Roses.   Here are some classics to consider.

Rosa Alchymist

R. Alchymist: this stunning climbing rose, with old style rosette-shaped flowers of a warm apricot fading to soft pink, with a strong fragrance. With good vigorous upright growth up to 18ft. One major flowering in June and repeats flowers with less flowers into the autumn.

Rosa Altisimo

R. Altissimo: An eye stooping climbing rose, with large single flowered blood red blooms with a cluster of golden stamens. Repeat flowers but a bit shy, it has huge orange hips that stay on till spring the next year. 12 to 15ft.

Rosa Constant Spry

R. Constance Spry: Named after the famed florist and cook. This is a huge climbing rose up to 20 to 25ft. But what a sight. Cup shaped multi-petalled blooms, in soft pink with a strong old tea scent, this once flowering climber gives an impressive one off show in mid- summer.

Rosa Albertine

R. ‘Alberine’; A traditional rambler with strong growth growing to 20ft. Salmon red buds open to lax semi-double flowers of a coppery pink. Strong scent and free flowering. With one off mass of flowers and the odd one or two produced latter.

Rosa Veichen blau

R. ‘Veilnblau’: This unusual rambler produces clusters of same semi-double flowers, from purple to light mauve and a mass of small orange hips. It is almost thorn less and has a strong orange scent. Vigorous growth up to 20ft.

Rosa Wedding Day

R. ‘Wedding Day’: This is a big daddy of rambling roses getting to 35ft and some with ease. vigorous grower. A one off mass of bloom. With clusters of almost golden buds opening to soft white single flowers. A very healthy rose that is strongly fragranced. For that romantic ruin!

Roses in full bloom add wow factor!

Top tips: traditional climbing and rambling roses, usually only give one off massive displays, more modern varieties of climbers, will repeat flower. It is rare to find a rambling rose repeat flowering. For tips on pruning see January 2017 Blog. If you do not have a large façade or a romantic ruin to grow these big roses over. Then shrub roses can be trained to grow up stranded height fences and smaller arches and pergolas and for most of us this is the best option to enjoy a garden wall or fence with a rose on it. A Rosa ‘kifsgate’ on a bit of trellis next to the sitting room window, will cause nothing but misery. Right rose right place!

The full impacted of the wonderful Rose.

I hope I have inspired you to choose one of these ‘grand-dames’ of the rose world to take centre stage in your garden. If you want help redeveloping a rose garden or a summer mixed boarder or any other garden design needs, then I know just the person to help. Give me Emily a ring on 01273 470753.

Allium hollandicum ‘Purple Sensation’ and Nectaroscorum sisculum

Early morning light on Allium hollandicum ‘purple sensation’ and Nectaroscorum sisculum.

Iris Berkley Gold, Iris Kent Pride and Allium Globe Master

Tall Bearded Irises, Berkley Gold and Kent pride, nestle in the gravel, with splashes of bold purple round heads of Allium ‘Globe Master’.

Iris Jane Phillips and Iris Sable

Soft mauve of Iris ‘Jane Phillips’ and the velvet richness of  Iris Sable.

Iris Jane Phillips

The shades of purple from Alliums and Nectaroscorum give way to a back drop of soft slivers of Stachys byzantine and the fresh lime green of Euphorbia characias ‘Wulfenii’

Nepta x faassenii ‘Six Hills Gaint’, Geum ‘Totally Tangerine and Allium ‘Globe Master’

Spires od sliver and soft mauve flowers of Nepta x faassenii ‘Six Hills Giant’, mingle with the oranges of Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’. The dramatic uprights of the drumsticks of deep purple Allium ‘Globe Master’, rise up through the soft spilling planting.

Nepeta and Iris Kent Pride

There is something really wonderful about the May garden, every thing is fresh and new, the planting is beginning to fill out with fresh spring growth. These photos I took one morning while I wondered round my small garden early in the morning with my early cup of tea, the low sun light lifts the colour along with the morning dew.

Nectaroscorum sisculum ans Allium hollandicum ‘Purple Sensation

I hope you to are enjoying your garden.  If you want help to redesign and plant your garden do give me Emily a ring 01273 470753

Mixed, heather planting

Sadly heathers have become deeply unfashionable, but are they due for a return to garden fortune?

They first had their heyday in the Victorian era. With the Victorians love of the romantic landscapes of the Cumbrian fells the Scottish highlands fed by Royal fashion. They were widely planted over the Victorian rocky, great and small. Heathers next big moment on the British garden scene was the 1970’s with the island bed, with mixed conifers and heathers to give all year round interest and a desire for low maintenance. But these tough plants, have long flowering seasons and a lot to offer. Here are some to consider.

Calluna vulgaris ‘Beoley Gold’

Calluna ‘Beoley Gold’: Low growing with good golden evergreen foliage and delicate bell shaped white flowers in August to September.

Erica carnea ‘Golden Scarlet’

Erica carnea ‘Golden Scarlet’: Bushy growth with bright yellow evergreen foliage. Masses of small white flowers. Flowering from December- March.

Calluna ‘Dark Beauty’

Calluna ‘Dark Beauty’: Low growing compact heather with mid-green evergreen foliage. Deep red semi- double flowers, flowering late summer.

Erica carnea ‘C.D Easor’

Erica cinerea ‘C.D. Eason’: Dark green evergreen foliage, with bright red flowers flowering from June to September.

Calluna ‘Firefly’

Calluna ‘Firefly’:A wonderful variety it’s green evergreen foliage turns a rust orange in the winter. Crimson flowers produced July-August.

Erica x darleyensis ‘Furzey’

Erica x darleyensis ‘Furzey’: Strong growing heather with dark foliage. Purple flowers produced from December to April.

Top Tip: Heathers, that is Cullnas and most Ericas, like a neutral to slightly acidic humus rich soil. But there are a few Ericas that will survive and even grow well in a chalky alkaline soil. This low maintenance shrub, needs little looking after. Just a light trim after flowering to keep good compact shape.

Heathers mixed winter planting

Heathers have a lot to add to the mixed planted boarder, from sweeps of low colour in a winter planting. Or used in a rockery setting, or as a low maintenance plant with good ground cover properties. Heather is a superb plant for steep bank planting. There is an endless choice of varieties that take the flowering season from the bleak winter months, through spring and then become the highlight of late summer and autumn low planting. With many soft pastel shades of white, pink and purple to some eye popping reds and varieties with golden and even strong yellow foliage. These plants can shine through the year. If you have the right growing conditions, perhaps it is time to look a new at Ericas and Cullunas.

“ Topiary- is the horticultural practise of training perennial plants, by clipping the foliage and twigs of trees, shrubs, and sub-shrubs to develop and maintain clearly defined shapes, whether geometric or fanciful. The term also refers to plants which have been shaped in this way. As an art form it is a type of living sculpture.  The word Topiary, derives from the Latin word for an ornamental landscape gardener, topiarus, a creator of topia.” Wikipedia .

clipping topiary

Topiary is an ancient art from the Romans in Europe to the Parterre gardens of the 1600’s to the Eastern art of cloud pruning, a desire to clip, and train evergreen plants into unnatural shapes has always been the art of an accomplished gardener. Good  topiary can add strong structure to your garden particularly in the winter months and if you have the patience and skill a great amount of creative fun as well. Here are some suggested shrubs that are tried and tested as good topiary subjects.

Buxus sempervirens: Box, the classic topiary shrub, although now sadly fraught with possible problems ( see below)  This dense small leafed shrub is ideal for close clipping, and therefore for being trained into intricate shapes. Slow growing and will grow on poor shallow soils, it does not like being too wet. Grows in sun or part shade.

Lourus nobillis (cornes)

Laurus nobillis; Bay can become a very large tee, but is also happy being clipped, it can be a little tender in cold areas, so clip no latter than August, so new growth can harden before the winter. Moderately fast growing, with glossy dark leaves, it clips well into geometric shapes. It has the added advantage of being used in a lot of Italian cooking. It will grow in poor soils and in full sun and even into shade.

clipped myrtus balls

Myrtus communis terentina: a compact Myrtle, with dense mid green growth, the small leaves make it ideal for topiary. It can be tender so do not clip after late July. Small white flowers in mid summer and aromatic foliage.

Taxus baccata-yew, clipped squares.

Taxus baccata: the mighty yew, with dark green needles and it’s ability to cope well in shade, makes a good topiary subject. It will cope even on chalky soils but it does not like to dry out, But equally it will not cope with water logging. It is not as slow as people think so with its small leaves it is good for the most artful topiary.

Ligustrum clipped into a peacock

Ligustrum ovalifolium: the humble privet, can be elevated to a whole new level when used for topiary. It has many advantages, being small leaved it can be easily chipped into animal shapes and it is quick growing, meaning it trains at speed up wire models, so perfect for the topiary enthusiast  who is keen to have a Noah’s ark of animals.

Varigated holly topiary lolly pop trees.

Ilex aquifolium ‘Marginate’: with mid sized holly leaves with creamy edged variegation and a female form with berries, this makes a topiary shrub with added benefits. Clips well into cones, pyramids, boxes and balls.

wire topiary model

Tip: you need good sharp shears and if you are trimming box have a bucket of week disinfectant to hand to keep dipping into, to try to prevent, both box tree caterpillars and infection of box tree blight. Which are now both common in South-East Britain, it may be a case of thinking of using one of the other shrubs I have suggested, as both of these  horrors are now a real problem. Also the thing about maintaining good shapes in Topiary is trimming little and often to keep that crisp line. Also if you are going adventurous and thinking of a peacock or a more humble spiral, then a good frame work model, in chicken wire can be invaluable at helping you train new growth but also a guide to clipping your growing topiary.

Topiary in pots

Cloud pruning Topiary on an impressive scale.

Good Luck and let your imagination go wild!

Encouraging Birds into the garden was important.

It is always good to go back and see the gardens you have designed, landscaped and planted a few years after the work has finished, to see how it is all settling in.

A journey down the garden

The first garden was designed for a couple who had a mature garden and were very knowledgeable and keen gardens, but as they got older they needed a garden which was easier to maintain. So the planting beds were reduced in size and planted with dense planting with all year round interest that would be easy to look after.

A wide sweeping path leads to the bench at the bottom of the garden

Also the narrow gravel path was replaced with a wide sweeping paved path, which was easy to walk on and less work to look after. A wide bench was placed at the end of the path, so views down the garden could be enjoyed. There was an enthuses on using plants to attach the wildlife particularly birds, So a row of Crab- Apple trees was planted, so not only could the blossom be enjoyed in the spring but also the birds could feast on the fruit in the Autumn. Bold and vibrant colours were chosen in the planting to cheer the sole at all times of the year.

The second gardens I went back to see were a front and back garden in East Grinstead. The back garden has strong lines of hard landscape and bold blocks of planting, giving it a crisp modern feel, with stunning warm Indian sand stone, and  the walls painted a soft yellow orca  and caped with the same warm stone.

The sunken garden with hot tub, the yew hedges are still to reach their mature height.

The sunken hot tub garden is screened from the main garden and the side of the house by Yew hedges, to aid privacy. The hedges have to still reach their mature height but are doing well after only a couple of years.

Views across the main dinning terrace

The planting round the main dinning terrace is in bold and dramatic blocks and squares and is beginning to fill nicely, the corners of the beds are picked out by low lighters, that give a gentle light pool and atmospheric soft light to lead you round the night garden.

The front garden and sweeping new drive edged by generous planting

The front garden, needed a new larger drive to accommodate the new budding drivers and their first cars. So a larger circular drive was created, as there would be quite a bit of turning on the drive, gravel would not be suitable so instead a soft coloured gravel mix was used in a resin bonded surface. The colour scheme was pulled through from the back garden with the same orca walls and soft yellows and corals and purples for the planting. Clipped mounds of box and low Ballard lights, show the edge of the drive. A dense textured planting edges the drive set below the branches of groups of Crab-Apple Trees which are settling in well and making good growth. The trees give height and scale to the scheme. The front garden has a good balance between the needs for parking and generous planting to soften the hard structure and link the house to the garden. A wide path sweeps through the planting to reach the side gate into the back garden.

The third garden I went to see, was again landscaped only a couple of years ago and sits almost on the Downs on a very thin chalk soil. The new wooden extension of the house steps out into the mature shrubby of the garden which remained. The clients wanted a garden that was easy to look after and fitted with the down

Planting beds by the house give way to the informal lower garden

land views beyond. So the design was to have a very light touch. A more formal upper garden was created round the new terrace just below the large windows of the extension adding to the existing mature shrubby. With minimal planting beds with soft country style planting

An informal garden, views back to the house from the long grass meadow.

The lower garden was to be much more informal, with few new trees and to become a meadow. As the garden is close to the Downs and the soil very poor it was decide to use a normal grass turf and allow the down land plants to seed and populate it over time, so that wild thyme, marjoram, ox-eye daisies, to name but a few would follow, which is beginning to happen.

A newly planted Birch draws the eye to the end of the garden and the Downs beyond, in front is set the rustic oak pergola, so views can be enjoyed back up the garden.

Mown paths cut through the grass meadow leading to the central bird bath and on down to the rustic pergola at the end of the garden.

The meadow is under planted with naturalising narcissi,  to give early spring colour before the grasses and invading wildflowers get going latter in the year. The meadow is cut in August and the cuttings cleared to keep the lawn poor and encourage the next batch of invading wildflowers to take hold.

The garden is still very young but is beginning to settle down well and is much enjoyed by the new and keen novice gardeners who own it.

I hope you continue to enjoy your own gardens as Summer unfolds.

If you want to transform your garden into a new and wonderful space, then do give me Emily a ring 01273 470753

Stunning Hydrangeas, make great cut flowers

I say Heroic hydrangeas, as they are often the wall paper at the back of a large boarder or thought of as lining the drives of stately homes, but these shrubs come in a variety of shapes and sizes, lace-cap or mop heads and some in between and a variety of colours that change with age and even are beautiful as dried flowers.

Stunning Hydrangeas, make great cut flowers

Of course over the years there has been a fashion for fiddling about with the soil pH to produce blooms of deep blue on an acid soil, a pH of less than 7 ( the lower the deeper the blue) less acidic and it heads towards purple. Pink and into deeper pink on alkaline soils with a pH  above 7.  Personally I think the joy is letting your Hydrangeas just colour with what your soil is and see how they change in  different planting potions, but of course if you have picked a “ Blue” variety and you are on natural to alkaline soil, the chance it it will not be a deep  blue at all, so don’t be disappointed. They need a good humus rich damp soil, in dappled shade, but will cope with full sun. flowering from July to the end of September.

So baring all of the above in mind, here is a selection to consider.

Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’

H. arborescens ‘Annabelle’: This has been the hydrangea of the moment or the last 7 to 10 years at least as the ‘new’ designer fashionable one that started to pop up at Chelsea in main avenue gardens and it is certainly a show stopper. A medium sized shrub with a floppy open habit, of large white to flushed green flowers up to 30cm across freely produced from July to September.

Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora’ 

 H. paniculata ‘Grandiflora’: A large shrub, with a mass of panicle shaped flowers of sterile florets appear in August and become a deep pink towards Autumn.

Hydrangea macrophlla ‘Ami Pasquier’

H.macrophlla ‘Ami Pasquier’ : a small to medium sized shrub with a good compact habit, a good mop-head variety with deep red florets.

Hydrangea macrophlla ‘Blauer Prinz’  

H.  macrophlla ‘Blaucer Prinz’: A medium sized shrub. A good mop-head variety, with heads that are shades of pink into deeper red on alkaline soils and shades of purple into deep blue on acid soils.

Hydrangea macrophlla ‘Lanarth White’

H. macrophlla ‘Lanarth White’: A small to medium sized shrub with a neat compact habit, one of the best lace-cap varieties. It produces large flattened heads, with central flowers which are pink on alkaline soils and blue on acid soils , surrounded by white florets.

Hydrangea macrophlla ‘Madama Emile Mouillere’

H. macrophlla ‘Madame Emile Mouillere’: a medium sized shrub with large mop head flowers of white florets with a pink or blue centre depending on soil pH. With serrated sepals.

Hydrangea quercifolia

H. quercifolia: This unusual hydrangea has, leathery deeply lobed leaves, oak like in shape, with a white underneath that turn a blistering coppery red in the autumn. It produced large creamy white shaggy panicle s of flowers in August. It is a medium sized shrub.

A mass of Hydrangeas.

I hope I have made you think again about these shrubs that fell out of fashion and were considered some what Victorian, they are beginning to be planted more widely and have must to offer, in fact what is not to like about Hydrangeas.