Acorn Garden Services - Photos and Advice: April 2018

Friday 20 April 2018

April Zing

Most perennial plants do not flower until June, so it's important to think ahead to include a few spring plants, including bulbs, which don't take up too much space and don't mind being crowded out later in the season.

Here are a few examples of emerging foliage, bulbs and low perennials in my own garden photographed today. I generally plant my tulips in pots since since I have been disappointed over the years with their display in subsequent years. (A few are reliable but on the whole, they are not great in year 2 and 3). I therefore treat them as annuals, and throw them away after they have flowered.

Deep Maroon coloured tulips which emerge through winter pansies. All will soon be discarded and
the pot refilled with summer annuals.

Magolia Susan. A wonderful shrub which slowly grows into a well behaved upright shape never
getting too big.

A brilliant little perennial for semi shade is Omphaloides Verna. A bit like forget me not, but a much more vibrant blue.
Self seeds around which is part of its appeal.

Pulsatilla Vulgaris. (Pasque Flower) A beautiful addition below shrubs or front of border for April.
The flowers then form really interesting seed heads, which look good for several weeks.

Primula Wanda. Tiny, and a little beautiful for filling in corners.

Emerging growth of Penstemon Huskers's Red. The foliage is dark, but the flowers in a few weeks time
are the palest of pink and very delicate. A good plant for contrasting foliage amongst lots of greens.

Euphorbia Robbie. Top plant for dry shade. Here catching the sun, since the tree foliage is just emerging, but
it will be very happy in shade for the rest of the year. Spreads, so not ideal for a small mixed border, but brilliant
for areas where "nothing will grow".

A cheeky bluebell turned out pink and pops up through Geranium Foliage under the shade of the tree.

Box hedge. The early new growth adds vibrancy.

The scent from this Viburnum Burkwoodii is filling the garden! This is it's special time
before it reverts to a green shrub the rest of the season, but well worth it for the 2-3 weeks that it flowers.

The flower heads of blue Camassia Leichtlinii, which will open any day now. Can't wait! Love them.

Tiny ground covering bulbs Anemone Blanda. They self seed too but are no trouble, and will be gone in around
3 weeks time, and forgotten about until next spring.

Buds of Allium Christophii, will soon be open with their firework like flower heads. All alliums have
poor foliage and leave a gap after they are gone so always plant them amongst later emerging perennils
to take over the space.

Not everyone likes grasses, but if they are placed correctly to catch backlit sun, they are
such a bonus in the garden. This is Carex Muskinumensis and they look gorgeous next to
the black paintwork of our bridge.

Carex Muskinumesis in the foreground, with the new shoots of box hedge in the distance.

Acer Palmatum flowers. They dont last long, but how interesting they are! The bees enjoy them too.

Orange Azalea buds about to open..... any minute now!

Theses are the only tiulips I have ever planted that have done well after year one. They are now
approx 10 years old, and annoyingly I cant remember their name. They always look so colourful next to the
fresh growth of Euonymous Emerald and Gold.

Not all Allium bulbs are pink. These are Allium Cowanii just opening up. They hang upside down like umbrellas
once fully open.

Thursday 19 April 2018

Small town centre garden

Right in the middle of Wokingham the owners have extended this lovely old property, now with a home office in the garden. However the walk to work was not very inspiring.
(See BEFORE photos at the end)

THE BRIEF

To keep a good size of lawn for the two children to play games.
To provide an interesting space
To provide a second seating area to replace the old deck, between the outbuildings
To retain the relatively new patio just next to the house
To soften the hard look of the brick garage, the office the fence panels.

The problem I saw as the designer was that I would struggle to make the garden look any different without the client being willing to give up some lawn. The children can still sit on the lawn to play, but it was never big enough for badminton or football anyway, so not a big issue, in my opinion, to loose a few square metres to allow for something more interesting. The neighbouring garden has a large Beech tree which casts a lot of shade and the only part of the garden currently planted, was in shade most of the time. My priority is always be to design some planting spaces which get SUN, otherwise it's impossible to give colour during the summer months. Thankfully, they put their trust in me, and I was able to reduce the lawn size. (The windows and doors on the home office were also replaced by fitters with modern dark grey frames, and the office painted a soft grey. ) A small trellis holds attention short of the BBQ especially once the Clematis Vitichelli climbs up each year.

From the original patio, a block path now leads to a second patio and space for BBQing.
This border will soon be brimming over with The Fairy Rose, Echinacea, Allium bulbs,
and Caryopteris for late season interest. With ground cover from Lamium, Ajuga and Dianthus

This border has winter structure of Box Ball (1 of 3), Lavender Hedge, and Stipa Gigantea Grass, and
during summer months Poppy and Geranium Ann Folkard, will be followed by Aster Frikartii. Silver
Stachys links the planting together

This pretty sweetly scented Dianthus edges the path and will give good ground cover

Stipa Tennuisima grasses catch the sunlight and add texture

The fence which previously had decking up to the edges, now has a planting border and Ceonothus, Viburnum
Burkwoodii and Escallonia, will fill this space in about 3 years. Meanwhile, Trachelospermum Jasminoides
training horizontally will clothe the fence and fill the garden with scene. Between the shrubs Penstemon Blackbird will flower all summer.

Good old reliable Photinia Red Robin will knit together and grow over the fence height to screen some
mast in the neighbouring property.

Along the back shadier area, Digital, Astrantia, Aquilega, Dicentra and Carex Grasses
Provide an interesting mix of textures. The dark foliage of Actea Chocaholic, yet to appear, but will
add plenty of drama and beautiful scent late season.

Aquilega blue and white

Pink Phlox

Dicentra. Gorgeous in spring, but then poor foliage later, so I always position something
else in front of it to follow on later.

BEFORE

Before and uninspiring, All the planting was against the fence and in shade. Also, the timber edge makes
it difficult to mow! I never design a vertical edge next to a lawn.

The deck was wall to wall between the building and also against the fence
leaving no opportunity for planting to soften the hard look

You can clearly see where the sun is. THAT is where I suggested we should plant,
and introduce another path through the planting, doing away with some of the path
outside of the garage door.

This Phormium in completely the wrong spot, overhanging the lawn.

Wednesday 11 April 2018

A major renovation project

When this client bought their house, it had a well established garden. But a bit too well established. Many years before, a previous owner had planted conifers, no doubt not appreciating how large they would become over time. As a result a massive part of the garden was hidden, but also unusable.

So although this client loved the privacy and screening the conifers gave, they did not love the look of the garden. They employed tree surgeons to remove and stump grind all the conifer roots and then Acorn Garden Services got involved at that stage to see the project through. The new design was however done before the conifers were removed.

The BRIEF

To create a family garden, with plenty of lawn, for football net and also apparatus.
To provide interesting planting borders, without compromising the loss of the new lawn area
To keep the shed (what shed? It was hidden amongst the foliage)
To retain the existing patio area next to the house
To provide an adult space to enjoy the evening sun

The SOLUTION..

(scroll down to bottom for BEFORE photos)

A few mature trees were planted by Tendercare Nurseries to provide some instant screening. All other shrubs and planting
done by Acorn Garden Services.

The "G&T" patio, west facing with grasses as well as perennial planting to catch the evening sun, partially surround this small patio. A patch of Lavender too. A small water feature was also added.

The existing lawn in the old "usable" part of the garden remains, with new lawn patched in around the side and
rear areas. Planting borders with Shrubs, climbers and perennials will very soon fill out with plenty of seasonal colour.

The patio was kept, however a new pathway introduced to walk through the new planting borders. This is sunny part of the garden, so will be full of color for many months.

It's only April and following a cold, wet winter, a few plants are a bit slow off the mark this year, but the garden will be filled with colour for many months. Here are a few of the developing buds, but shrubs to follow later are Buddlea, Physocarpus, Cotinus, Hebes, Euphorbia. And as well as several forms of grasses, there will be Asters, Verbena, Echinacea, Sedum, several Geraniums, Salvia. Agapanthus, Eringeum, Roses, Lavenderetc etc. Accents of dark coloured foliage will be provided by Eupatorium Chocolate, Actea Chocoholic, Cotinus, and Heuchera.