A reminder of the before..
Just one year on, and this HOT front garden is beginning to fill out. Scroll down further for the original brief and before photos.
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| Flat head of Acidi yellow Achillea Moonshine, contrast with the upright spires of Salvia Caradonna |
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| Purple Penstemon just coming into flower. They will last for several weeks if deadheaded regularly. Plenty of Geranium varieties will soon add to the show. |
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| Penstemon Lady Alice Hindley |
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| Allium Purple Sensation seedheadslook great even after the flowers fade |
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| A lavender hedge around the railing will open in the next two weeks. Tall Molinia Heidebraut grasses in two borders, will offer plenty of interest late season together with Asters, Sedum adn Coreopsis |
The existing plants in this customer's garden were all good evergreen shrubs, ones I use regularly. However used inappropriately, their scale had dominated this small south facing front garden. I had recently finished the neighbour's garden, which prompted this client into action.
THE BRIEF
- Remove the unwanted shrubs, retaining a few along the boundary edge providing privacy from the road. Primarily Rosemary and Choisya Aztec Pearl
- No lawn
- Interesting planting, colour and textures
- Keep the existing front path
To have no lawn in a garden of this size made sense. The lawn did not do well in the hot conditions, however to work with just the existing path would have meant that the planting areas would have been rather deep, and difficult to maintain. I designed brick edged curved gravel pathways, either side of the main pathway, to provide a more interesting layout, and add textural interest and colour to the hard landscaping. Plants could now be enjoyed walking between the beds, and maintenance much easier reaching from both sides of the pathways. A water butt in the corner had to be accessed too, so a wider gravel path allows good access. An evergreen Choisya White Dazzler was planted to screen the water butt, which will do its job in a couple of years time.
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| Mid November, and still Red flowers on the Callistemen (Bottlebrush). The customer requested a tall shrub in this location again, to provide some screening from a neighbouring house. It can easily be pruned to keep to a sensible height and width. It is underplanted with Geranium Sanguineum, Lamium and Origanum Aurea. |
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| Next to the house Evergreen Daphne Odora will provide exquisite winter scent. Tall Molinia Heidebraut grasses add movement and glow golden in the autumn sunshine. They are repeated near the gate. |
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| Stipa Gigantea Grass in the central curved bed, will play a big part next year as the tall seed heads, up to 5', emerge adding movement. |
Other plants used.
10 x Lavandula Hidcote as hedge around the railings
Sedum Autumn Joy
Molinia Heidebraut
Stachys Byzantine
Salvia Caradonna
Calamintha Nepeta blue cloud
Geranium Psilostemon
Geranium Sanguiniem Max Frei
Aster Frikartii
Coreopsis Moonbeam
Achillea Moonshine
BEFORE
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| The Photina, Pittosprorum and Conifers were dominant and dull, and not the best choice for a southfacing aspect, which should be vibrant with colour from spring to autumn |
