Three of the best (w/c - 30/4/12)

(Clockwise from top left) Clematis montana 'Tetrarose' - A vigourous climber that will cover as much space as you give it, with fragrant deep pink flowerds and bronze tinted foliage. Kerria japonica - Upright, bamboo-like stems of this shrub grow to 1.5m and bear golden yellow flowers. Myrrhis odorata (Sweet Cicely) - A quick growing herbaceous perennial that thrives in partial shade. The lacy flowers, which rise above feathery foliage, are also edible.

In the green

There is often so much emphasis on flowers in the garden it can be easy to forget that the most important colour is green. Green is everywhere of course but can be overlooked as we delve into the subtleties of different shades of pink or blue. Is the cerise flower of that Geranium too strident, or are the flowers of that Salvia bluey-purple or mauve and will it go with the reddy-pink of the Sedum next to it? Much time is spent making sure flower colour works, whether in close combinations, in the overall context of a planting scheme or from one season to the next.

Less time is usually given to consideration of the different shades of green that foliage comes in. It is often limited to thinking about the broad categories of green, gold, purple and grey (or silver) and indeed striking contrasts can be created by combining these, such as the Golden Philadelphus (Philadelphus coronarius ‘Aureus’) with the purple-leaved Elder (Sambucus nigra ‘Guincho Purple’) or the purple leaves of a Heuchera (such as H. ‘Palace Purple’) with the silvery foliage of Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’.

It is green foliage however that, for the majority of the year and in most of the garden, will form the backbone to any scheme. The different shades of green combined with the great variety of foliage shape, from feathery to strappy and from cut to rounded, will provide a visual texture that pulls everything together, providing volume, shape and a link through the seasons.

At this time of year, as the tree blossom begins to subside and before the flowering shrubs and herbaceous perennials have gathered momentum, we appreciate green the most. The vibrant new foliage comes pumping through and for a brief period in May all is lush and soft with calming shades.  


In cool, shady parts of the garden foliage combinations come into their own and will imbue a sense of lushness and calm. Many shade-loving plants such as Bergenias, Hellebores and Japanese anenomes have either big and /or, dark leaves, (all the more for capturing the available sunlight) and these combine very well with the light, feathery leaves of ferns, Astilbes and Aquilegias. Throw in the strappy foliage of grassy type plants such as Carex elata ‘Aurea’, Liriope muscari or daylilies (Hemerocallis) and you will have a stimulating feast of texture for the eyes that will encompass shades of green from forest to apple, dark to light and yellow to blue (enough to make a Farrow & Ball colour chart look limited!).

There is also plenty of opportunity to combine greens and leaf shape in sunnier areas. The bold architectural leaves of Echinops, for instance, will contrast beautifully with small-leaved Potentillas, while the large light green leaves of Alchemilla mollis and the grassy mid-green of Stipa tenuissima (Ponytail grass) will invigorate any scheme. For a partially shady area try a combination (pictured) of bluey-green Nepeta ‘Six Hill’s Giant’ (Catmint) with feathery Melissa odorata (Sweet Cicely).

You have probably noticed that most of the plants referred to also have blooms, so next time you are planning the planting in your garden make sure you look after the foliage and you will find that, to some extent at least, the flowers will look after themselves. 

Three of the Best (w/c - 23/4/12)

(Clockwise from top left)  Forget-me-not - Delicate and vigorous at the same time, they are best left to seed around whereever they like. Seedlings are easy to identify, and pull out, where not wanted. Fern - Another shade-loving plant, some ferns, such as Polystichum setiferum, are also surprisingly tolerant of dry conditions. The unfurling of the fronds is always a delight and can best be enjoyed if planted near the front door. Bluebell - Always best in a natural woodland setting, but also a beautiful addition to any shady part of the garden. Needs space to roam and is usually too vigorous for a border.

Three of the best - w/c 16/4/12

(Clockwise from top left)

Viburnum carlesii - This medium sized deciduous shrub has beautifully scented flowers (out now). It also turns lovely shades of orange and red in autumn. Geranium phaeum - An excellent perennial groundcover suitable for a relaxed planting scheme in a shady area. Seeds around gently. Euphorbia - Many evergreen spring-flowering varieties such as E. characias & E. amygdaloides inject the spring garden with their vibrant lime flowers.

Three of the Best (w/c 9/4/12)

(Clockwise from top left)

Cherry tree - There is no escaping the flowering cherries at this time of year. There are some dwarf varieties but generally medium sized trees with pink or white flowers. Some also have spectacular autumn colour. Crabapple - Smaller trees than the cherries with textured bark and either rich crimson ('Rudolf') or white (floribunda) flowers. The whites are often pink in bud giving a lovely two tone effect. Amelanchier lamarckii - A small medium sized tree that is best as a multi-stemmed specimen. The new leaves emerge bronze at the some time as the flowers, before turning green and eventually a fantastic orange in autumn.

One Man Stopped Mowing

Lawns are a quintessential part of the English garden and in many ways there is nothing more inviting on a hot summer’s day than a soft verdant carpet of grass. However, is the lawn’s place at the heart of our garden being put under ever-greater scrutiny?

The perfect lawn is in reality a fairly sterile environment that is perhaps at odds with the growing emphasis on wildlife friendly gardening, and they are also relatively thirsty which raises the question of sustainability. Add to that the fact that lawns require relatively high maintenance, and that a growing number of us prefer a more relaxed style of garden, and there seems good reason to reconsider how much of our gardens are put down to lawn.

One of the reasons we stick with the lawn is that we know where we are with them, and the question of what to replace it with can be daunting, particularly with large areas. The answer, at least in part, can be to let some of your lawn turn to rough grass, and ultimately perhaps even meadow. Areas of rough grass, or meadow, have many benefits from a design perspective. They will imbue a garden with a relaxed atmosphere, add another layer of interest and provide a link, and contrast, between more formal parts of the garden near the house and the wilder areas on the fringes.

The simplest form of ‘meadow’ can be created by just leaving part of an existing lawn to grow. Lines and shapes can be chosen for ease of mowing and mown paths through the rough grass will not only look good but also allow you to enjoy the area close up. Rough grass need to be trimmed two or three times a year and can be enlivened by planting daffodils and small ornamental or fruit trees in the autumn. And that is as far as you need to go to add a new dimension to even a small garden.

For some though the ultimate prize will be to create a small (or not so small) meadow and this requires a little more perseverance. The first stage in turning part of an existing lawn into a real meadow is to create an environment suitable for wildflowers. They generally thrive on ‘poor’ soil, where they can compete with the grass species, so short of changing your soil (never advisable!) this usually means trying to reduce the vigour of the grass. To begin with, this can be done by cutting the grass several times a year, for at least a couple of years, and removing the hay.

Depending on the strength of the grass in the first place you should then be able to introduce your first wildflowers within a couple of years, starting with Yellow Rattle, an annual wildflower that is semi-parasitic on grass and so will further reduce the strength of the sward, along with a few of the tougher wildflower species such as ox-eye daisies. It will usually take a few years for a meadow to establish but should be well worth it. As well as looking stunning, the pollinators it will attract will help to reduce the number of pests in the garden. Less mowing, less watering, less pests and more bees, what more could you ask for?

Three of the Best (w/c 2/4/12)

As a new feature, I will posting each week photos of three plants that are currently looking good and are worthy of inclusion in a garden. Here are last weeks:-

Clockwise from top left - Bergenia cordifolia - An evergreen perennial that is fine in both sun and shade. Its big leaves act as a foil for other foliage textures. Works well en masse. Clematis armandii - Vigorous evergreen climber that has beautifully scented flowers. Magnolia soulangeana -A small to medium sized tree that is fairly common but spectacular nonetheless. Even when its flowering is cut short by the weather its lush foliage and attractive shape earn it a place in the garden.