Looking good for a second time.... Astrantia

I always advise my clients to cut down some of the earlier flowering perennials like Geraniums and  Alchemilla Mollis but also Astrantia, about mid July. This leaves a gap for about 3-4 weeks, but gives them the chance to regrow their foliage so that it's fresh again right into September and October. If you don't trim them, they will look exhausted by the end of July, and let down the freshness of the plants around them.

Astrantia are a large group comprising white, pale pink, and claret coloured flowers. There foliage is excellent for ground cover, so plant in groups of 3-5.  There is even a variegated leaf form. But whatever the variety, the growth habit it the same. They prefer a soil which is reasonably moist,  and are happier in semi shade, although sun is fine so long as kept moist.   And the insects love them too.

Their natural flowering time is early June for a few weeks, until their flowers fade to pale brown and soon begin to set seed. THAT is the time to dead head any brownish looking flowers, then when they have all finished flowering, take some secateurs and cut all the foliage right down to ground level. In a dry summer like we have just had, they need a good drink regularly to recover, but by mid August the foliage will be looking great once more, and they will provide a second flowering lasting into October.

They are really interesting flowers and look amazing close up.Here are a few from my own garden this morning. All in their second flush of flowering.

A low maintenance approach

This client, a lady living alone, was struggling to keep on top of her garden.

THE BRIEF (very short)

• Easier to maintain
• Include a couple of Roses and Fushia
• Keep the shed

THE SOLUTION

• I suggested that the large conifer, although providing good screening from the neighbours opposite was dominating the small garden space. It was agreed to get some tree surgeons in to lift the canopy letting in more light, and moisture below it.
• The lawn was just hard work, so I opted to not include any
• Providing raised planting areas would make future maintenance much easier, rather than bending down to ground level

Before photos at the end

Nice and easy now to look after! Beds easily reachable whilst standing at the lower level.
A broom is all that's needed now instead of a lawn mower.

 To the left a new bed with fresh soil around the base of the tree should
give the new plants a chance to get established as long as kept watered.

The view from the patio doors will be very colourful for many months. Spring time with Aubretia and Aquilaga, joined later
by Geranium Rozanne, Astrantia Major, Heuchera, Thyme and Climbing Rose. Followed later by Sedum and  Verbena

To the right Daphne Odora will fill out to provide evergreen and beautiful winter scent. Climbing Jasmine
and Honeysuckle with clothe the fence, joined by two Roses, and Astrantia Pink form. Lamium and Gypsolpholla, will tumble over the edges as well as provide good ground cover.

Shrubs along the fence are Euonymus  and Sarcococca Confusa to provide evergreens. Sarcococca is a top
plant for winter scent.There are also 3 Actea plants for late summer scent.

Fushia was also a request. This is Mrs Popple, with a group of Astrantia large
White, which will be back for the second flowering of the year very soon.

Texture under the tree canopy from Lirope Muscari, with Carex Morrowii behind
which will form dense ground cover

Pretty Rose "Mary", a Polyanthus variety which flowers for months if deadheaded.
Its surrounded by Gypsophila plants which will smother the earth next year.

Astrantia in the second flowering of the year

 BEFORE PHOTOS

The tree canopy dominated the garden

There was no definition between lawn and borders

Perennial weeds under the tree. 

A small garden on a slope

This client's sloping garden had over time become rather dominated by large shrubs, with no space for planting for colour. She hated the view from the kitchen sink. It was of the garden the shed.... He didn't see the problem!

THE BRIEF

• To improve the view from the kitchen window
• To improve the horrible local clay (the same as my own garden!).
• To have a "G&T" patio for evening sun (Top LHS)
• Water feature?  Maybe.
• Retain the mature shrub screen along the back fence but reduce the border size, currently full of Ivy
• Remove the rotting timber retaining walls.
• Patio not big enough (in my opinion)

THE SOLUTION

• After some persuasion the gentleman agreed that the shed could be moved to less imposing area of the garden. It could even be reduced in size to 6x4'
• In order to introduce new soil to the garden, a series of raised beds would give the clients the chance to have plants which enjoyed free draining soil, something they had previously never been able to do. 
• Using bricks, for the walling, would give the garden a new look, and allow a curve to be introduced in the central area.
• The G&T spot would mean getting up several steps to the top of the garden

Before photos at the end.

The new view from the kitchen sink.
Plant pots on gravel will  help with drainage after heavy rain
The water feature can be enjoyed from several angles. (low planting will cover the soil by next year)

 With brick walling, I like to use several plants which will tumble over edges to soften the look. These include  Gypsopholla, Osteospernum Jocundum, Stachys, Aubretia, Euphorbia Myrsinities, which will be fabulous by next spring.

The new patio now plenty of space to get around the table.

I wanted to introduce planting between the lawn and the brick wall. I would not normally design such narrow borders, but to make the borders wider on the design, would have got to the point, where it was not worth having lawn.. The plants I used for this solution, which can be kept clipped into shape are Teucrium Lucidrys (in sun), and Buxus (Box) in the shadier part to the right of the above step.

Another raised bed with new soil. The trellis screen has a climbing Rose and a pale yellow Evergreen Jasmine
These will provide a screen to hide the shed in it's new discreet location.

The brick bed above also has Achillea Terracotta, an Orange Shrub Rose, and dark Sedum which looks fabulous with the orange tones.

Verbena Lollipop with Stachys, Sedum Matrona and Echinacea to the left. 7 x Teucrium  to form a small hedge in
the narrowest part of this border.
At the back, under the existing shrubs, the customer has chosen to plant this in time. 

View looking down from the upper patio, passing Lavender on the steps. To the fence side
A climbing Rose and Phlox.  In front of the water feature a group of Erigeron Profusion (tiny white daisy,
will flower for months), and low ground cover so as not to block the view from  Geranium Rozanne.

the whole garden feels much lighter now

At patio level, Spirea Anthony Waterer will screen the electrical points, whilst not breaking if the cable catches it.
Hemerocallis almost finished flowering in August, but loads of colour next year,
and earlier colour  from some Aquilegia in front.

BEFORE

The sunniest part of the garden in the evening covered in overgrown shrubs

The borders looking tired. The timbers rotting

The patio too small

The view from the kitchen sink is a shed

How to screen an eyesore?

THE PROBLEM

This client's neighbour across the road had recently removed a lot of screening, and the view of their garden was now rather ugly. Basically, my client had to look at a utility area, which was the view from their dining room. Since the neighbour had no plans,  my client felt they had to do something.

My client had already planted a Hornbeam hedge in a straight row, but realised that it was going to be several years before it had any impact. So what to do?

View  from my clients POV

THE SOLUTION

I suggested the need to go for some Semi Mature planting, that would detract from the eyesore on day one, and in time screen it altogether.   I took my client to view the choice at Tendercare Nurseries, and together we chose the plants to use. I don't personally plant mature shrubs, but am happy to come up with the planting design, and organise the project.

I sprayed out the new border shape in the lawn so that the new planted was a gentle curve which continued seamlessly from the existing shrubs.    A contractor with a mini digger then prepared the new planting area, and a planting team from Tendercare planted the mature plants.  The customer was happy to infill and underplant with their own choice, in this case Heathers which they know do well here in Crowthorne's acidic soil.

And here is the result just a few months later!

The main height is from Magnolia Grandiflora, which is evergreen and will get tall pretty quickly.
To the sides of the Magnolia are Hollies, also evergreen to fill in below the  Magnolia and provide
a contrast in foliage texture.  In front are 3 Hydrangea Annabelle looking fabulous. Not evergreen, but
not important, since their backdrop is. The customer has also underplanted these with Snowdrops.

The side view and one of the 3 Holly plants on the left underplanted with Heathers.
The final plant in the scheme, just left of the Hydrangea, is a deciduous winter flowering Viburnum Dawn, which will also grow tall. They have really interesting stems and foliage too, and  lower stems can be removed as it  grows to allow space for the Hydrangeas below.

A very happy customer. The neighbour opposite has now put up a trellis part way along their boundary, but the mess of their utility area still visible through the trellis. Sometimes a problem becomes an opportunity which turns out for the best.

A long garden - 3 years later

These clients were lucky to have a large plot, with a very long garden. However despite all the space, they barely had enough space to sit or entertain.

The Brief

• To make it more interesting!
• To have somewhere to grow vegetables in their poor thin free draining soil
• To make more of their existing small pond. 
• To make a large area of planting behind the pond easier to manage.
• All the planting areas are mostly in shade under trees, with difficult rooty conditions.

The Solution

• Divide the long space. I suggested a pergola next to the existing Bamboo area which over time has protruded partially across the width of the garden. Then add another small border to the other side of the new pergola. This  introduces central height  and frames a view in both directions.
• In my opinion their existing patio was not large enough and only just fitted their table, with no space to walk around it. This therefore to be extended, using the same type of paving which would soon blend with the existing.
• Build a raised vegetable bed, importing new decent topsoil, which would hold moisture better than their native acidic soil.
• Demolish a brick built raised pond, construct a new upper pond with waterfall to the existing pond.  Enlarge second patio area  to enjoy the new 2 tier pond. 
• Introduce a path through their existing large planting area next to  pond, to make maintenance easier , but also make it more interesting. Walking between planting always a good solution.
• Lift some turf in a sunny area of the lawn, and plant some perennials and grasses to catch the sunlight.

See end for before photos. 

From the patio area, a new central border with fabulous Stipa Gigantea to catch the evening sun.
Rudbekia also now in flower, and Astrantia and Geranium if cut back now, will soon be back in flower.

The view from the extended patio

Existing pond, now with waterfall from a new upper pond.
This large planting area cleared out and a pathway through makes for easier maintenance.
The Brick pond removed (where the chairs now are) and patio enlarged to allow space to enjoy the pond life.

Pergola constructed next to existing bamboo with a small new planting area on the opposite side . This makes a frame
to the new planting border, which become a focal point.
 Bricks under the pergola work better than lawn.
A concrete trench was built  around the bamboo to stop it from further extending into the garden.

Another patio area extended to allow plenty of space to entertain out side of the kitchen.
The 20" raised beds mean that the vegetables have done well with good soil to get their roots into.

BEFORE

A square brick pond took up a lot of space, and unless standing over it, no water
was visible. This was demolished to allow for more space on this second patio. The brick circular
bed was also removed, to allow access to a new pathway through planting.

The long garden with all the planting along the fence lines and under trees

The existing patio next to the kitchen was not wide enough, nor long enough, since the
herb bed make that part of the patio area unusable.

The Dark Side

There are some fabulous dark foliage plants to choose from but if overused, the garden can look a little sombre. When working on a planting design, I aim to have a "triangle" of dark accents, ie just 3 areas, one in each border in  a small garden, adding a little punctuation of dark colour amongst the many greens. A few more in a larger planting scheme.  They look particularly good if used next to orange, pink or cream flowers.

My regular choices will be from the following and  will depend on the size of garden.

Shrubs for dark accents

Cotinus Coggria "Royal Purple" or "Grace", the Smoke Bush. But these need plenty of space. They want to be 2.5 metres tall AND wide.

Cotinus Royal Purple (Internet Photo)

A much better choice for limited space is Physocarpus Diablo. It keeps a nice upright shape and easily pruned to keep to the desired size in any garden.

Physocarpus Diablo. (Internet Photo)

Another lovely choice would be an Acer. Some though get too big, so do read the label to see the ultimate height when choosing. One I often see badly used in gardens is Acer Bloodgood. Lovely foliage, but after a few years too big for a small garden, making the garden feel very dark.

Acer Bloodgood (internet photo)

In my own garden, I do have a Cotinus, and also an Acer, but my Acer is the weeping variety, grafted on to a rootstock which will never grow more than about 1.5mtrs. Here is mine.

My own Acer Palmatum Dissectum Garnet with Cream heads of Hydrangrea Annabelle beyond

The same Acer, and on the opposite side Orange Heleniums

Perennials for dark accents

A word of  warning - avoid Lysimachia Firecracker! It  has beautiful foliage, but underground roots spread everywhere. Do NOT be tempted to use this..... ever.

A few of my regular favourites are Heuchera Obsidan, Eupatorium Chocolate (recently renamed as Ageratoma altissima Chocolate), Actea Brunette (for shade) and Sedum Purple Emperor. Also, one I discovered this year as I mentioned in an earlier block is Penstemon  Husker's Red (below)

Penstemon Huskers Read for early dark foliage.

Actea in its dark form (there are green ones) is a fabulous plant. Really interesting foliage for months, then, when most other plants have stopped flowering, it starts around early September and has wonderful perfume too. I have one at home just near the front door. 

Actea Brunette. Gorgeous scent late season. (internet photo)

Heuchera Obsidan in my own garden.
 Underplanting with Pink Lythrum ( Loosestrife)  just starting its second flowering after being cut back

My own garden with Eupatorum Chocolate behind Helenium  and Orange Achillea

My own garden with Eupatorium Chocolate behind Echinacea Magus

My own front garden with dark accents from Sedum Purple Emperor below Orange Rose Pat Austin.
(A fabulous repeat flowering Rose. I have deadheaded dozens of flowers already!)