Hooray For Hostas!

I think that a well-designed garden should have good green foliage, as this is where the eye can take a rest from all the other colours going on in the garden. Foliage also adds shape, form and texture to the garden and complements flowers.

One super plant that provides excellent elegant large foliage interest is the Hosta, Plantain lily. This perennial produces long stems with bell-shaped flowers, but this plant is mainly grown for its architectural foliage, which on some varieties can be up to fourteen inches long, and the whole plant can grow to a height of three feet tall.

The bold Hosta leaf comes in four main shapes: ovate, lance, round and heart-shaped and many Hostas also have lovely attractive variegated markings of white or yellow. Hostas come in a wide range of different lush shades of greens, from lime greens through to glaucous grey-blue leaves.

Most Hostas are clump forming perennials and like to grow in moisture-retentive fertile but well drained soil with a bit of shelter from cold drying winds. Hostas also prefer a full or partial shady site and don’t like the soil to dry out, so remember to give them a good mulching each spring to conserve moisture. A regular feed of nitrogen will also keep Hostas in tiptop condition.

The only down side to Hostas are that they are one the favourite foods to slugs and snails (see last week’s article) and after these pests have fed on them they can end up looking very much like lace curtains. Professional growers are now trying to produce Hostas with tougher leaves so that they’re not so tasty to slugs and snails. I personally grow my Hostas in containers to minimise slug and snail damage and use a John Innes No 2 compost with some grit to help drainage.

Hostas are so versatile as they can be used in many ways and in different styles of gardens. They can also be grown as individual specimen plants or ground cover and I think they really look super around ponds or water features.

My favourite Hosta is the Hosta sieboldiana var. elegans as it has rounded heart-shaped, heavily deeply puckered glaucous grey-blue leaves and this specimen makes a wonderful planting combination with my contrasting red Acer and the lovely deeply cut fronds of ferns.

So, for super irresistible foliage plants for a garden, Hostas certainly get my vote.

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Making “Sense” Of Your Garden

I thought this week we’d take a look at a Sensory Garden – a garden which can literally delight the 5 senses… a garden which is just a joy to be in…

So. let’s first take a look at some things to delight the visual senses…

I’d opt for plants that have bold bright coloured flowers or plants with bold architectural foliage such as Fatsia japonica, Yucca or Verbascum olympicum with its large woolly leaves and candelabra of yellow flowers.

The heavenly scent of the lovely perfumes of flowers and the delicious aromatic smells of herbs will elevate the emotions and certainly stimulate the olfactory senses. For scent in the garden, Lavender and Rosemary are a must. I also love the fruity aromatic smell of the Phlomis fruticosa when you rub its foliage.

For strong winter scent go for the Winter Box, Sarcococca confusa and Wintersweet, Chimonanthus praecox.

The relaxing sounds in a garden, like the gentle rustling of leaves, water flowing in a pond, the sweet song of birds and the soft hum of a bee can be really soothing.

Natural sounds in a garden are a good way of being distracted from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. Plants that can provide the gentle rustle of foliage are large ornamental grasses such as the Pampas grass or Zebra grass. Bamboos too are also very good for providing natural sound in the garden.

Different textures of leaves or the interesting surfaces of tree trunks can be used for the sense of touch. Number one on the list for foliage texture has to be the Stachys byzantina otherwise known as Lamb’s Tongue or Bunnies’ Ears with its wonderful woolly foliage.

There’s nothing better to stimulate the sense of taste than wonderful fresh fruit from a garden, or the full flavour of home-grown vegetables. Don’t forget herbs, such as traditional Mint or Rosemary and Sage to flavour home cooking.

So, the next time you’re planning your garden, see what plants and features you can add to awaken your five senses with such safe and interesting plants.

May… Busy May…

May is usually the busiest month in the gardening calendar. With the weather warming up and the days getting noticeably longer it’s a pleasure to be outdoors in the fresh air.

By the end of the May, when hopefully the threat of any frost has past, bedding plants can be planted out and hanging baskets can be prepared to give fabulous splashes of colour to the garden.

Hardy annuals flowers from seeds can be sown into prepared soil around this time and is a good way of getting a mass of colour in the garden for just the cost of a packet of seeds.

A useful tip is to sow the seeds in rows about 4″ apart so that when they start to germinate, you can easily tell which are your germinating flowers and which are the weeds.

Also by sowing this way, you’ll have enough room to hoe the weeds away between your rows of plants. Another good way of getting plants cheaper is to buy plug plants.

These are small plants that can be potted up, grown on and then planted out when they are bigger and stronger.

To help make plants go further; you can divide existing overcrowded perennials clumps and replant them elsewhere in the garden.

If you fancy growing your own tasty organic vegetables, then now is the time to sow crops such as beans, beetroot, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, lettuce, peas and radish.

Some crops may need to be started off under a cloche in order to give them some more warmth. You can easily make your own cloche tunnel with strong wire or metal coat hangers bent into arches and covered with strong plastic sheeting. On warmer days remove the plastic sheeting, but cover the young plants at night.

Around this time of the year lawns need a bit of looking after if you want to keep it looking good. So treat your lawn with moss killer and then rake out the dead moss to help keep the lawn healthy.

If your lawn is small enough, then you may be able to weed by hand, but if it’s larger then you may need to use a lawn weed-killer. To encourage the grass to grow stronger you can also apply a high nitrogen fertiliser to feed it.

With the weather warming up, remember to water pots and start watering the garden, especially fruit and vegetables if the weather is going through a dry spell.

Around this time of year we are often too busy outdoors and easily forget about our indoor plants, so remember to check if any indoor plants have outgrown their existing pots and check to see if any need to be re-potted into bigger pots.

Make the most of the better weather around this time of the year and enjoy the onset of summer in your outdoor room.

Spinners Garden

As if one trip to a garden I’ve been wanting to visit for a long time wasn’t enough, as well as taking a visit to Furzey Gardens, we braved the Bank Holiday Monday weather, waited for the obligatory rain to subside in the morning and made our way to Spinners Garden.

I knew I was in for a treat, but little did I know what a special treat awaited me.

For a start, before you get to the nursery part of Spinners Garden, you’re lead by a meandering path through the actual gardens. This nicely whets your appetite for some plant buying when you get to the actual nursery part, but more of that later.

Walking along the snaking path, you’re present with such a natural looking habitat for the plants, trees and shrubs that reside at Spinners Garden that it easy to forget that this in fact a planted up garden for the public. You get a sense of the love for gardening that has gone into creating the tapestry of the garden itself.

Much of the garden is of the light woodland type and among other plants you’ll find acers, hostas, hydrangeas, ferns and rodgersias.

Other less common plants you’ll come across include Trilliums and Erythroniums which are a delight at Spinners Garden. With many less common plants, trees and shrubs, if you’re what I call a “plants person”, you’ll definitely find something that grabs your attention while meandering through garden in the dappled light from the trees which include wonderful Magnolias and Camellias.

After taking our time wandering through the garden with me like a child in a sweet shop, we finally came to the nursery part of the gardens. Having walked leisurely through the garden before getting to the nursery part is such good planning I think because once you’re interest has been piqued in the gardens, you’re bound to want to treat yourself to a goodie or two from the nursery… which is exactly what I did.

For long I’ve admired the cercidiphyllum jap with it’s unmistakeable smell of burnt brown sugar or candy floss (cotton candy). It’s such an elegant tree and like I say, I’ve had my eye on treating myself to one for quite a while.

So, two lovely gardens visited on a lovely Bank Holiday as well as a treat for myself, all in all a great time…

…. and yes… my cercidiphyllum is already enjoying it’s new home, in a new pot in a new garden.

Spinners Garden:
Address School Lane,
Boldre,
nr Lymington,
Hampshire,
England,
SO41 5QE

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More Magnificence From The Month Of May

The month of May brings such an abundance of colour for our gardens, as there are such a variety of flowers around now to really liven up the garden.

If you’re buying flowering plants for your garden borders, then try planting in blocks or sways to get a better effect than just planting single plants. For example a block planting of the same colour of tulip bulbs under planted with a mass of blue forget-me-nots will create a sunning border.

This month is the main flowering period for the wonderfully brash Rhododendrons and Azaleas. Visit public garden to see the amazing spectrum of colours they come in. If you do want Rhododendrons, then remember that they’re best grown in large containers with acid soil, as our London soil is mainly neutral.

A star specimen tree for this month is the Laburnum x watereri ‘Vossii’ with its long hanging racemes of golden yellow flowers. This lovely tree can be grown as a single specimen or can be trained over a pergola to create a stunning archway.

A very pretty shrub with masses of lilac-blue flowers flowering around this time of year is the Ceanothus, the common name of California lilac. There are many varieties of this shrub ranging from low-growing ground cover ones, to wall shrubs to beautiful small trees.

The clematis for the month of May is the Clematis montana, which comes in a white or a pale pink. This Clematis is a vigorous, deciduous climber and is great for covering walls, fences or it can be grown up a tree to give it additional the tree flower interest.

You can’t have a garden without some spring scented flowers, and one particular scented favourite is the Lilac -Syringa vulgaris. This is a vigorous deciduous shrub or small tree has a dense conical cluster of flowers that come in a range of pretty pastel shades to a dark lilac colour.

A lovely May flowering bulb to look out for this month is the Allium, which is an ornamental onion and it produces dense round heads of star-shaped tiny purple flowers. This flower is super in any sunny border and it has such an attractive seed head in autumn that can be dried and used for flower arrangements.

Enjoy the month of May with the colours and scents care of Mother Nature!

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Shoreline Furniture

I recently came into contact with Martin Scorey and his range of Shoreline Furniture via an exhibition in Lyndhurst arranged by Angelico Creative

As you know, I simply love driftwood furniture and accents and Martin makes the most exceptional pieces.

From a wide range of furniture, to decorative accents for you home and garden, Martin’s artistic talents turn seemingly ordinary driftwood into unique and exceptional pieces that could grace any home or garden.

From chairs to tables to cupboards and more, you’re bound to find something at Martin Scorey’s Shoreline Furniture to delight you.

More Details:
Martin Scorey is an exceptional craftsman who produces innovative Driftwood furniture using

Martin, who initially trained in traditional boat building skills, has been established since 1977 and over the years has developed a long list of loyal clients.

To satisfy the strong tide of requests for private commissions Shoreline Furniture was established and continues to fulfil the growing demand for original and memorable furniture that blends the traditional with the modern tastes of today.

Visit Shoreline Furniture At www.shorelinefurniture.co.uk

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The Magnificence Of May

May is my favourite month of the gardening year as spring moves into summer and the weather warms up, and nearly everything in the garden is in full leaf. Lovely spring flowering plants in our gardens will soon give way to super summer flowering blooms.

If you’re tempted to dash out and buy your bedding plants, I’d advise that you wait for a while until the middle of the month as there still could still be some sudden sharp frosts at night, so just keep an eye on the weather forecast. If however you have a greenhouse, then you could store them in there for the time being.

Around this time of this month, you could now give your lawn a good “feed and weed” as a lawn in good condition really sets off a garden. Also don’t forget to mow regularly to encourage healthy growth.

If you have any evergreen shrubs which may have been damage by frost during winter, then this is a good time to give them a pruning to generally tidy them up and get them back into shape. Early flowering shrubs and climbers such as Kerria japonica and Clematis Montana can also be pruned around this time now. Evergreen hedges can now be given a trim, but only give them a light trim just to keep its shape and this will make it easier to cut next time.

If you would like some plants for free, then now is a good time to take softwood cuttings from shrubs. Most shrubs in the garden will now be producing young fresh shoots and these will be excellent for softwood cuttings. Another economical way to get some splashes of summer colour into your garden is with flowering annuals, and these can now be sown directly onto the soil.

If you enjoy eating runner or French beans then try planting some now. I think that this crop has such pretty flowers and can quite easily be incorporated into any garden and can look attractive growing over supporting structures. If you want your very own fresh salad than have a go at growing some salad crops this month too.

As the weather warms up this month don’t forget to get into the habit of watering your garden; also start feeding any hungry plants in the garden, particularly those in containers and in hanging baskets.

By putting in some extra effort this month, your garden will get a good head start and not only will it start looking good, but your efforts will pay off later in the summer months.

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Passionate About Passion Flowers…

Have you ever taken a close-up look of a passion flower? I’m always amazed at how nature can create something so extraordinarily beautiful.

The Passiflora caerulea is the blue passion flower and has a real exotic appearance. Even though it originates from a tropical climate, the blue passion flower grows quite happily in our British climate. This lovely vigorous climber likes to be grown against a nice sunny warm spot against a wall or a sheltered fence in moderately fertile, moist but well drained soil. In return, it will bloom all summer long and look stunning and in milder areas this passion flower will keep its five lobed foliage throughout the winter.

This climber is also useful for autumn interest as it produces soft apricot coloured passion fruits, but as the fruits don’t ripen fully in this country and in theory could be edible, I really wouldn’t advise eating them. Another decorative feature of this plant is its winding tendrils, which will cling on to and help support this plant in its climb.

The flowers of the Passiflora caerulea are wonderfully intricate and are zoned in blue, white and purple and have an interesting historical tale. The structure of the flower was said by Spanish Catholic missionaries in South America to represent certain features of Christ’s Passion and this flower was used during religious lessons to teach children about Christ’s passion.

The five sepals and petals are said to represent the ten of the twelve apostles, less Peter and Judas. The three stigmas represent the three nails of the crucifixion, the five stamens are the five wounds of Christ, the corona filaments represent the crown of thorns and the fine tendrils are the scourges.

While some of us will be familiar with the common blue passion flower, there are even more colourful exotic varieties of passion flowers, but unfortunately they are tender and not hardy enough to be grown outside and will need a nice warm conservatory or heated greenhouse to keep them happy.

There are some gorgeous purple ones like Passiflora ‘Amethyst’ or Passiflora x caeruleoracemosa. There are some hot red coloured ones like Passiflora racemosa or Passiflora coccinea. One amazing passion flower is the Passiflora quadrangularis, Giant granadilla, which looks so exotic and unusual. It has deep red petals with long striped wavy filaments of purple and white fragrant flowers.

I’m truly passionate about passion flowers, and I hope you will be too.

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A Sense Of Gardening…

You might remember my post entitled  “The Sensory Garden” and it’s one of my most popular posts. So I thought I’d write another posting about how our gardens can help soothe, stimulate and perhaps even help heal our senses.

When I am designing gardens, I’m constantly thinking of the fact of making and creating the garden as an area to be a ‘stress free zone’; a place where a person can chill out and enjoy nature.

In this fast moving stressful life of today the garden can be a real sanctuary, and your own little bit of oasis to escape to.

Believe it or not the garden can actually promote healing, it is a proven fact that hospital patients recover more quickly when they have a view of a garden.

Plants can give us so much pleasure and can bring enjoyment and delight to our five senses. Fresh herbs from the garden add wonderful natural flavours to our taste buds together with the delight of enjoying fresh home-grown fruit and vegetables. The joy of colour in the garden can be uplifting and therapeutically.

Soothing sounds can be added to the garden like the refreshing sounds of running water or the gentle tinkling sound of a small wind chime. Nature’s sound of the wind blowing through the leaves of trees and shrubs can be claiming together with the gentle rustling sound of Bamboos and grasses. Creating sound within the garden can be really soothing and play a very useful part in distracting us from the outside noises of city life.

There are plants which are a joy to touch, various textures can surprise and delight us, like woolly soft leaves of the Stachys byzantina also known as Bunnies’ Ears or Lamb’s Tongue never fails to stop me to touch it. Also joy of rubbing the foliage of certain plants so as they release their aromatic scent and my favourite is the Phlomis fruticosa that has soft downy fruity scented leaves.

Scent plays important part in a garden as it can stimulate memory and enhance our moods. There are so many wonderfully perfumed flowers like the richly fragrant Jasminum officinale or the Lonicera japonica, Honeysuckle, plant these next to a patio or seating area so you can enjoy the wafts of scents.

So chill out and enjoy awakening your five senses to the garden.

April… Sweet April!

Gardening certainly gets into full swing during this month of April!

Although we’d like more sunshine and less showers during the month of April, the plants in our gardens do thrive on rain to help them look their best. So with the better weather on the way, what could be nice than pottering around in the garden on a nice warm spring day?

Around this time of the year, many gardens, including mine, will benefit with some spring-cleaning to get things into some order ready for the summer.

One job that can be done around this time is to clear off the moss on many of our patios and pathways. It’s surprising how the whole garden can suddenly look a lot better just by doing this simple job. Just a pressure washer or a hose is all you need with a hard bristle broom to eliminate any unsightly moss.

Another way to get to your garden looking a lot better quickly, is to tidy up any woodwork, such as fencing, decking, sheds and trellis as these will probably need a lick of wood preserve to smarten it them up and prolong the life span.

Also during April, if you’re lucky enough to have a greenhouse, then it’s a good time to give it a good wash down. Clean the glass well to allow maximum light in and a good clean on the inside will promote good hygiene and help keep away pests and diseases.

This month you’ll notice that the lawn will need some attention after the wet months of winter and many of our lawns will now have moss growing among the grass. This moss needs to be removed as it will smother out the grass and prevent surface drainage for the lawn. I prefer the organic approach to eradicating the moss is to simply rake it out with a lawn rake.

As well as getting rid of the moss on your lawn, it’s also a good idea to improve your lawn’s drainage to allow water to get down to the roots were it’s most needed. To do this push a gardening fork in about four to six inches randomly around the lawn giving it a jiggle, this will also help with aeration, also don’t forget to hand dig out any weeds that could spoil the lawn too.

Later in April or even early in May it might also be a good idea to use a spring fertiliser which you can apply to your lawn, once again to promote good healthy growth.

If you find all this isn’t giving you the result you want and your lawn is still beyond salvation then use the time this month to sow a new lawn or lay some new turf as the April showers will water in the new grass.

The month of April is a great time to generally tidy up flower borders and once you’ve weeded, then put down a nice thick layer of mulch on the soil as this’ll save you back-breaking weeding work later on in the season.

With the bank holidays approaching many of us will be taking trips to garden centres. So if you have spring-cleaned your garden then you’ll find it easier to see where the gaps are in garden and exactly where it could do with some more interest.

Just one bit of advice for shopping at garden centres; don’t be tempted to just buy plants that are all flowering now, try also to plan ahead and think about having flowering colour interest for the other months to come in the year.

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