We are now at the stage in our garden renovation of adding plants and garden accessories to pull together all the elements – the fun bit!
By the careful placement of plants and decorations, you can give the impression of stylish, sleek, and yet homely. We used a combination of both new and old plants, new and old pots and new and old accessories, different shades of grey and blue which contrast but still complement. For maintenance purposes, all the plants are evergreen (with flowers or colour) for all year round show, but the trough is our seasonal garden splash of colour, this time of the year it is full of stocks, cyclamens, and dianthus, in spring we will have daffodils and tulips and then summer bedding plants.
Small compact plant with eye-catching white berries, placed close to the house so can be seen through french doors but does not obstruct the view to other plants.
This one is the same as above except the berries are pink. It is placed in a higher container diagonally across from the white one so eyes travel along the line to encompass both colours.
On the sleeper wall, we have used small grey pots to hold various alpines, the smallest one above.
In the middle of the three pots on the sleeper wall, yellow flowers will appear in summer on tall stems.
The largest of the three pots on the sleepers produces masses of small white flowers in spring, ideal for attracting bees into the garden.
We have placed a tall cylinder planter in the corner of the patio that contained two plants, the Japanese fern is ideal to use as foliage contrast with other plants, has coppery triangular fronds when young, turning light green with mature. To complement the fern we have added a Periwinkle, this has a small inky blue/violet flower in spring and occasionally in autumn-winter – we planted ours in late September and it has not stopped flowering!
The Monkey Puzzle tree we have had for a while but it now stands out as a structural element to the edge of the patio with its sweeping arms contained in a square planter, but do not be fooled, get too close and the spikes really hurt.
This Azalea has been lost in the old plants for some time now but placed in a planter it showcases its autumn colours Although not evergreen, the new buds are already showing (November) with a promise of what’s to come. In summer a mass of coral flowers can be seen. To draw the eye to the planter, a small sphere is used.
We have recycled our old plants, it was looking a might tired but with new lining and a few coats of “silver birch” grey paint, it looks like new. An olive tree is placed at the side to give height and structure, the rest of the trough will be planted with seasonal bedding plants to give a splash of all year-round interest.
A tall square planter is used to showcase the above, it produces dark green leaves speckled with white often tinged pink in winter. Dark purple flowers are produced in Spring. The height of these plants ensures the eye is drawn to the rest of the garden over the sleeper wall.