Winkfield Arboretum

Opening time was 10am. We arrived at 10.01am and the main car park was already full! Mid week would have been ideal, but the weather has been dull, dull, dull so it needed a little bit of brightness to bring out the foliage colours..... which is why it was packed today.

Once inside the gardens however, for the first half hour at least the crowds dispersed but  by the time we left at 12.00 the queue to get in was  hundreds more people, and a long, long queue of even more outside on the main road.  The colour infact was not that great on the whole, and another week or two will be a better time. Many of the Acers however were spectacular, and will probably have lost their leaves by the time the native deciduous trees are at their peak.

Dragging an old garden into the 21st century.

This garden was taken over after the death of it's long term resident.  After modernising the interior, the new owner contacted me to re-design the garden space.

Here is how it is looking now. The owner said "WOW".  Great result, and of course the planting will knit together over the next couple of years. I worked with many of the existing shrubs, but the garden was very static with very few perennials. Keeping the large shrubs offers maturity, and the perennials will soon catch up to give good ground cover, but interest for many months each year.

From the large patio area, steps lead up to the lawn

A ramp allows the lawn mower to be moved from back to front garden

Keeping many of the existing large shrubs, perennial inter planting will ensure plenty of interest
throughout the seasons. Lawns need to be a good strong, simple shape to be successful...... no wiggles!

A new border in a sunny spot brings planting to be enjoyed closer to the  house, and
by next spring will add see through height to the garden.

Dark red Heuchera Obsidan will echo the dark foliage of Physocarpus Diablo
and also Sambucus Nigra Black Beauty

Verbena Lollipop. Brilliant plant, in flower from early June

Silvery textures of Stachy Byzantine contrasts with the thin foliage of Stipa Gigantea.

Choisya Aztec Pearl in flower for the second time this year, will grow to around 2m
screening the view to the shed. Lavender Hidcote still flowering in front of Choisya.

And how it was BEFORE

RHS Wisley, October 1st

I love late season perennials, and one the best places to see them is at RHS Wisley Gardens in Surrey.

A past client who recently moved house with fabulous open views of the countryside, has asked me to help create swathes of prairie planting in her natural garden setting. I took her to Wisley to see the Piet Oudolf borders in particular, but of course other parts of the garden were still looking glorious again the blue skies today. Looking forward to planning her garden, and watch it develop.

The famous long herbaceous borders still looking very colourful

blue Geranium Rozanne still flowering its socks off! Fabulous plant.

Interesting sculputre in the circular lawn. They strips are done by eye using an old
fashioned rotary mower with a narrow blade. Fabulous.

The Piet Oudolf  borders planted in swathes using grasses and
perennials, repeated across the borders. Many of these plants and grasses are 1m-1.50 tall.

Simple is often best.  A hornbream hedge with Miscanthus grasses

Tom Stuart Smith borders, with Phlomis seed heads edging the paths.

Tom Stuart Smith borders

The edge of the lake.

The formal Waterlily pond

Colourful cyclamen thriving around the base of this Oak Tree