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Front Garden Planting

Sun, 16 Feb 2020 16:40:46 GMT

Adding new plants to invigorate an overgrown front garden

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.

We added the tall spire's of Perovskia and the tall globes of Agapanthus. The central circle has a focal Magnolia stellata at it's centre surrounded by Geranium 'Rozanne'. The colour pallet was a subtle Blue and white.

It's essential to leave the garden looking at it's best. Colleagues Sid & Chris making the finishing touches to the garden, cultivating the soil around the new plants and pressure washing the paving to give to that sharpness.

Small Courtyard

Sun, 17 Feb 2019 15:52:02 GMT

Very small courtyard given a sub-tropical feel

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 picked plants adapted to shade but still offered good all year round leaf texture for a tropical feel. The under planting was Bergenia, Heuchera, liriope and Helleborous. The Mahonia 'Soft Caress" doesn't have the spiky leaves associated with many other Mahonia's , an import aspect as the clients daughter is only 2 years old and like to grab things!

A 'before' picture of a slightly depressing garden with little imagination.

A transformed garden, one that the family can enjoy, with lush planting and colourful summer plants with a backdrop of rich green vegetation.

Chesney retail window boxes

james.eltringham@icloud.com (James Eltringham) — Mon, 29 Jan 2018 11:13:21 GMT

Install and plant up window boxes with vibrant foliage colour, October 2017

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 contractor hand made the wooden window boxes and they where painted to the same spec as the shop front. The main plant we used was Heuchera 'Lime Marmalade'. It's an herbaceous perennial but in the micro climate that is London it's given great colour throughout the winter. Coming into the spring and summer, we'll see delicate white flowers on slender stems. The other plant is the trailing Lysimachia nummularia . It's been partially obscured but now spring is around the corner it should trail down over the boxes with again vibrant lime green foliage, which turns a reddish/ brown in the autumn. It to has delicate white, daisy like flowers in the summer.

Clearing & Planting in Ally Pally

james.eltringham@icloud.com (James Eltringham) — Mon, 29 Jan 2018 09:38:38 GMT

Replanting a south facing border after a complete clear out of an overgrown area from June 2017.

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.

  It was decided that the border would be smaller than the plan, which meant that we had to take out some of the plants from the plan. There was a mix of colouring throughout the scheme with vibrant yellows, oranges and pinks The border is in full sun and the ground is very clay based, meaning that the ground is wet in the winter and quite dry soil in the summer. The plant selection, hopefully, are those that are conducive to those environmental factors.

The main structural element to the planting plan is the Phormium and the Pittiosporum , they give all year round evergreen foliage, and both recur through the planting. Other evergreen plants are the Pennisetum grass and Cistus.

Much of the planting is herbaceous, meaning they die back in the winter, but remerge in the spring/summer. These plants really give you the floriferous summer show. The spring starts with the Geum, Geranium and the Gaura and these last through the summer. The Crocosmia and Rudbeckia come later in the summer. Plants such as the Phlomis and the Sedum still have great architectural qualities throughout the winter as they die back.

A climbing Rosa at the centre should over time cover the central section of the fence with wire support and join with the a Loniceria and Trachelospermum climbers.

As you can see from the photo below, I think we were successful. The Rudbeckia hadn't come through, but when it did, along with the rose made a real impact. Also over time, we where able to reestablish the lawn, so we now have a nice clean demarcation between the border and lawn.

A colourful Muswell Hill front garden

james.eltringham@icloud.com (James Eltringham) — Wed, 08 Mar 2017 11:57:30 GMT

A great seasonal display of Primula polyanthus, with spring bulbs

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.

The Rose corner & Box parterre

james.eltringham@icloud.com (James Eltringham) — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 12:27:12 GMT

Replanting an overgrown corner into a formal scheme

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.

The area had an existing Olive tree which was kept, but all other planting was removed, inc;luring an old rose that I managed to transplant to a pot. There was box towards the back which became part of the Buxus hedging scheme.

The area was on a steep incline so building wooded bedding supports was essential in preventing all the plants and soil eventually sliding south! This allowed the soil to be level, but the box hedging obscured the bulk of the wooden supports from sight.

The half-standard rose bushes are of course the main attraction, but are under planted are Veronica , Calamintha and Alchemical . The other existing plants in the garden replicate their colours and form. They will die back in the winter giving an opportunity for spring bulbs to bring in a change of season colour. The area has Narcissi and tulipa. I’ve included two climbing roses to partially cover the back fence.

It's obviously not at it's best now but should give a fantastic show from spring. the Veronica for instance should grow to a hight of 1m, and the Calamintha will bush out, both filling the area under the roses.

Planting scheme, Muswell Hill

james.eltringham@icloud.com (James Eltringham) — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 14:52:22 GMT

Contemporary planting scheme for borders in a small north London Garden.

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 client gave me an image from a magazine which had a contemporary garden, with minimal plant selection from grasses and clipped Buxus. I selected Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light', Anemanthele lessoniana and Stipa tenuissima , popular grasses that move with the wind and are a great plant as a back-drop for flowers from other plants to grow through. I used rounded Buxus , along with Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Tom Thumb', for structure and continuity. Salvia nervosa 'Ostriesland', Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant' and Aster x frikartii 'Monch gave me the purple colour that the client desired, but I added Astrantia major as a complementary colour .

Anamanthele , with Astrantia and Lavandula showing through the grass blades.

The garden is situated on a slope, it was essential do build a robust raised bed to level the border, thus I build a retaining wooden redoubt. Over time it will soften to a grey colour in keeping with other aspects of the garden. Heucera 'Plum Pudding' is a bold statement but softened by the bright green of the Sedum 'Iceberg'. After clearing the site it was obvious that the stark nature of the fence needed to be covered. I planted climber that in time should screen the fence and give the perfect back drop to the planting.

Heucera and Pittosporum , with there deep purple should complement the Anamanthele as it turns a reddish/yellow in the autumn.

As well as the border planting at low-level, some shrubs were removed, so Acer palmatum 'Aurem' is a fantastic addition. Nepeta is underplanted and will eventually cover the the ground, but the interesting bark of the acer should still be visible. The leaves turn a brilliant yellow/orange and should be reflected by the Anamanthele below.

Replacing trellis

james.eltringham@icloud.com (James Eltringham) — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 09:12:29 GMT

Trellis can degrade and replacing is essential to ensure the garden climbers thrive.

Replacing trellis, with existing plants, can be a tricky operation to untangle the plants! This job was a simple solution, using standard trellis from a local DIY store. It gets the job done but perhaps this area could have been enhanced with a better trellising solution.
The two photos show the new trellis, compared to the broken down example that was replaced. Softwood trellis has a life of 5-10 years. It depends what plants are climbing but generally trellis can look broken and worn very quickly. It's far better to purchase hardwood, preferably treated with a preserver. To achieve the greatest results painting the trellis is the very best solution. The paint selection is key to merging with the surroundings, the trellis isn't the star of the show and should be simply a canvas for the climbing plants. There is no reason why a high quality trellis can't last for 20-25 years.

Norfolk courtyard

james.eltringham@icloud.com (James Eltringham) — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 14:54:26 GMT

This design is for a small courtyard in Norfolk. Part shade areas but lots of evening sun.

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.

Public planting scheme

james.eltringham@icloud.com (James Eltringham) — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 21:42:32 GMT

Part of my planting design portfolio.

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.

Refreshing an old summer bedding scheme

james.eltringham@icloud.com (James Eltringham) — Tue, 26 Jan 2016 14:24:22 GMT

Winter needn't be sad and dreary!

I was recently asked to refresh a tired summer planting scheme. The plants were well past their best and the clients needed something to make the front garden standout in the depths of winter.

As you can see from the second picture, the planting from the previous summer was really tired looking. I'm really pleased with the results. I used Skimmia rubella and Euonymus as a back drop, their great reliable plants and will still look good in the summer. A mix of cyclamen, hellebores and Meuhlenbeckia finish of what I would say is a stunning winter display..
You might be able to see in the background that I also planted some contrasting yellow Primulas in the smaller circular planter, accompanied by the Euonymus to link that display with the that in the foreground.

Winter planting

james.eltringham@icloud.com (James Eltringham) — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 13:06:47 GMT

Winter display planting

Great little job I recently did in a London Town house just before Christmas. The brief from the client was simply to brighten up a boring balcony. Obviously the only solution would be window box style planters. I had difficulty with attaching the planters to the copping stones and a certain degree of jiggery-pokery with the brackets was needed. It was important to keep the planters low enough so the plants could be observed while seated.

I used faux-lead fibreglass planters, lightweight and long lasting without ageing. I planted a range of winter plants including Primula's, Hellebores's and Ivy.
I also used some silver leaf Jacobaea maritima as a contrasting colour to the deep green of leaves of the other plants. Interestingly the plant has recently been reclassified, it's common name is Silver ragwort and was widely classified as Senecio cineraria.
Really pleased with the final affect and the client seemed please with the result. Perhaps Christmas cocktails were taken on the balcony and the winter planting was admired, I do hope so!

Does it feel like spring to you?

james.eltringham@icloud.com (James Eltringham) — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 11:18:26 GMT

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?

New start

james.eltringham@icloud.com (James Eltringham) — Thu, 26 Nov 2015 15:43:51 GMT

First ever blog, here I go!

Well this is my first foray into the blog-o-sphere (not even sure that's the correct terminology!).
I bought what was seemingly hundreds of bulbs recently. These were to go in pots and planters in the garden. I bought some Alliums and Fritillaries for the beds. I thought I would have too many, and end up putting them in a bag to ferment with mould over the summer. When after planting the last one with a good deal of satisfaction, I realised that three window boxes were completely empty.
Damm it, just going to have to buy some more.