Does it feel like spring to you?
James Eltringham • December 17, 2015
Planting up a winter bedding scheme, I was visited by an unexpected guest.
It should be the darkest depths of winter leading up to Christmas. Working in Kensington yesterday I was planting up a new winter bedding scheme for a client, all Primula's and Hellebores to brighten up the gloom, when I was visited by an unexpected guest. With the weather feeling like spring time it appears my little friend here has got completely confused and it out from what should be his winter slumber and is busy collecting nectar. He was accompanied by a friend and both were very interested in the plants in our van as soon as we opened the van doors. They then got busy passing from one flower bloom to the next.
It looks as if 2015 will be the warmest year on record globally. How will this effect the plants in the garden? And more importantly how will it affect our wildlife?
We were asked to add new planting to a front garden in Muswell Hill. It had been left to the weeds and the shrubs need a good prune back. We added a low hedge of Ilex crenata to give the path to the front door some structure. We Aldo wired in the over grown Wisteria's.
This was a very small triangular shaped courtyard in Highbury. The client asked us to install an area that she and her daughter could relax in. The courtyard was over shadowed and plants had to be ones with thick green leaves to adapt to the lack of light.
We were asked by Chesneys to install and plant a number of window boxes at the New and prestigious retail outlet in Belsize Park. The brief was to have something that offered a simple look but with vibrant foliage colour. The requirement was also for the plants to not be too tall and obscure the internal displays.
The task was to completely restyle the two borders in a small garden in Ally Pally. The photo below shows the south facing border after we had cleared it of a massive Solanum, and various other large climbers, including brambles that had got out of control. Just to the right are some large Bamboo's, whose rhizomes kept popping up all over the garden! After we cleared, we dug over and incorporated compost to the soil, then re-edged the lawn.
This is the front garden of a regular client in Muswell Hill. It's such a jolly display that I had to share it. Winter can be dreary but the scene of these flowers always puts a smile on the face. There are a profusion of multi-coloured Primula's, interspersed with spring Crocus and Narcissus.
I was asked by a client to design and plant a more formal garden area for a part of the garden that had become overgrown with no identity. The client liked Buxus and Rosa so a parterre was the ideal solution.
I was given a brief from a regular client whose garden I've recently taken over the care off. The client wanted to refresh the side borders of the garden with grasses, and purple/ blue flowers and foliage.
The idea behind this design is to produce a white garden that reflects the evening sun, offers evergreen interest and morning fragrance. There is also an exotic theme with the Trachycarpus, Fatsia and Choysia , with differing leaf shape and size to offer contrast. The aspect of the garden has led to a differing approach to the areas. The North facing bed has a number of shade tolerate plants, with many offering evergreen foliage for all year round interest. The rest of the beds receive sun for long periods of the day. These areas have a high number of plants that produce a strong fragrance and an iridescent colour. There is a mix of evergreen and deciduous planting. Plants such as the Cosmos are annuals but do self-seed. These areas can give the option of changing the design from year-to year. The planting form is repeated with the rounded Pittosporum , as well as the vertical Actaea, Digitalis and Aconitum . A number of the plants, particularly the climbers, Tracyelospurnum and Lonicera , offer a rich burgundy or copper colour which will act as a foil to the white flowers, making them sparkle in the evening sun. There is also a bulb overlay (not represented here). The bulb design is essential to promote an all year round interest. Areas taken in the summer by herbaceous perennials and annuals will look bare in the winter-spring without a bulb plan. Galanthus and Colchicum give interest in the darkest winter days, then the planting leads to the Narcissus and Tulipa in the spring. Alliums give a statuesque presence through the summer.
The planting centres on the medium sized, evergreen, Arbutus . Under planted with white Erica , the fabulous coloured bark is shown in it's full glory. Many of the plants are inspired by the Winter garden at the Cambridge Botanic Gardens. There are contrasting textures between the Pittiosporum , the Mahonia and the Viburnum . There are the harmonizing forms of the rounded habit/colour of many of the shrubs, including the Loropetalum and the Pittiosporum . The plants selected are low maintenance, with the majority evergreen. The harmonizing forms of the Cornus and the Salix will need to be pruned once a year but the effect is well worth the effort for their fantastically coloured stems. These plants, along with the Lonicera , will allow the winter sunshine to radiate through the border, ensuring the area remains open and bright in the darkest of winter days.
