I was asked recently to re-design this garden in Fairfield Park. The owners wanted a clean, contemporary space for their family to play and relax in. The garden sloped away from the house and I was asked to work with the slope rather than terrace the garden into sections. I started by moving the patio away … Continue reading
Front Gardens are often overlooked and end up as somewhere to park the car or dump the wheelie bins. However, they can be as attractive as a back garden given a little imagination and plant knowledge. The brief for this front garden in Hitchin was to make it very low maintenance but enhance the house and … Continue reading
Designing gardens is often about adding emphasis with your planting. These don’t have to be permanent features within the garden, infact adding seasonal interest to a particular spot often works better. Bulbs are perfect for this and one of my favourites are Black Parrot Tulips. Planted in the autumn they will reward you with a … Continue reading
Designing gardens in Hitchin, Hertfordshire means I am always experimenting with new plants. All designers love those that have strong shape and colour and fall under the ‘architectural’ heading. A couple of years ago I stumbled across some Angelica Gigas plants being sold on a market stall in St Albans. It was a new name to me … Continue reading
One of my favourite plants to use in a shady spot in the garden is Iris Foetidissima. Not only does it love shade it provides useful winter interest with it’s bright orange berries. There aren’t many plants that are happy under the dense foliage of a Viburnum Tinus that grows in my garden. However I … Continue reading
Architectural plants are what give our gardens form, colour and drama. Garden designers love their strong and distictive shapes and one of my favourites is agapanthus. They are strikingly beautiful plants with intensely coloured flowers that originate from South Africa. Agapanthus have lush strappy leaves and upright strong stems that are topped with balls of flowers. Incredibly versatile … Continue reading
Evergreens play a vital role in the garden at any time of year – but it is in winter when they perform at their best. They become the ‘back bone’ in our borders and give them shape and structure when everything else around them has died back and lost it’s leaves. Many people find them … Continue reading
Adding winter interest to a garden is not difficult you just need to adapt a different way of thinking. Don’t think flower – think texture and colour instead. Grasses ooze texture and planted in bold groups either on their own or within a border the effect can be stunning. Add to that a covering of … Continue reading
Of all the architectural plants available alliums are for me the stars of the show. I love everything about them – their colour, shape, vertical nature and amazing seed heads. Whatever size garden you have there is an allium to suit as they can grow anywhere in height between 30cm -200cm. I think another key to their … Continue reading
An architectural giant in the garden and one that ticks a lot of boxes for me as a designer is this one – Sambucus nigra (black elder). In flower now and looking striking with it’s lacy black foliage it makes a real focal point in a sunny border. Sambucus Nigra (balck elder) Bred from our … Continue reading
