Sunday 30 August 2009

Favourite Roses

Rosa 'Graham Thomas' has just been voted the world's favourite rose at the 2009 Wold Rose Convention in Vancouver. It is beautiful.

I am not especially fond of roses grown as shrubs, although a hedge of shrub roses such as Rosa 'Hyde Hall' can look stunning. What I really hate are those dreary rose gardens where badly pruned, disease riddled, sad looking specimens are grown alone without the interest of other surrounding plants. Horrid!

However, I am very fond of climbing roses. Trained over an arch or pergola, grown up trellis, and, of course, around a front door they look fabulous. Roses can be combined with other climbing plants so that when they're not flowering you still get colour and scent.

I recently constructed a pergola in my mother's garden, with the help of my brother and his hard-working kids - my newphews and niece. I planted it up with a mixture of climbers, but my Mum loves roses, so we planted a different one on each pergola post. This was the first time I'd used Graham Thomas and it has been amazing - by far the most flowers of all the others in its first season, and a really pretty yellow. I also used some of my other favourite climbing roses, all David Austen:-

Falstaff - a blowsy, double deep, rich red with an amazing fragrance.
Crown Princess Margarets - double flowered, apricot orange, very fragrant.
A Shopshire Lad - peachy pink, very scented.
Iceberg - white climber with a light scent.

Friday 28 August 2009

George Pelecanos

I first read a George Pelecanos novel on holiday in Italy in 2000. It was the second book in the 'Washington Quartet' series and I absolutely loved it. I have since read everything he's written. Each year I save up his most recently published novel and read it on holiday.

So, I've been a Pelecanos devotee for almost a decade and am rather peeved that everyone else seems to be jumping on the bandwagon. Geoerge Pelecanos has suddenly become part of the zeitgeist. He was a co-writer and producer of several episodes of cult TV show The Wire - which I also loved and watched from its first screening. Now, even President Obama's getting in the act.

Read the Washington Quartet which starts with The Big Blowdown and continues with King Suckerman, The Sweet Forever and Shame the Devil. They're amazing. You'll be totally hooked.

Thursday 27 August 2009

A day in the life of a garden designer

I love being a garden designer. ‘Why’s that, Linsey?’ I hear you ask. Well, today I spent most of my time collecting plants from a wholesale nursery – what’s not to love? For those of you not familiar with such an establishment, wholesale nurseries are where us garden designers and other garden trade types get our plants. I’m never happier than when I’m mooching around a nursery looking at plants. I use several wholesalers, but today I was at North Hill in Chobham, it’s just a brilliant, Aladdin’s cave of a place.

Wholesale nurseries are not open to the general public and are rather less tidy and organised than a garden centre - definitely no frills. Some of the plants are not looking their best, not all the plants are labelled – you really need to know what you are looking for and at. Part of the fun and interest for me is in finding new plants, or chancing upon a combination that would never have suggested itself naturally.

I really enjoy chatting to the knowledgeable plantsmen and women who run and staff the nurseries. John and Rob at North Hill are a mine of useful information and always good for a bit of banter.

After loading up, I delivered the plants to site and set them out ready for planting. So, my day was pretty perfect – even the weather was great. I probably don't need to point out that it beats sitting in an office.

Here are some shots of the nursery.









John doing a little dance for the camera



Rob pricing my plants



Not sure how I'm going to fit them all in my van.......

Monday 24 August 2009

Sustainable Oak Fencing

If you're looking for something different to the bog standard trellis or fencing panels check out this sustainable Oak fencing by Quercus. It's really beautiful, adds an extra texure to the garden, can be made to measure and is environmentally friendly.

Gardening Courses at Barnsdale

Want to learn a bit more about gardening? Always wanted to know how to build a wall or lay a patio? Check out the gardening courses being held at Geoff Hamilton's famous garden at Barnsdale.

Saturday 22 August 2009

Future Gardens

Need some inspiration, or just want a day out? Visit the Future Gardens display at Butterfly World in St Albans.

Monday 17 August 2009

Spring Flowering Bulbs

My thoughts are turning to bulbs – now is the time to order and get planting. I always include winter and spring flowering bulbs in my planting schemes. It’s a great way of ensuring some interest and colour early in the year, as well as adding some extra structure to a scheme.

The earliest are, of course, snowdrops and there are so many great varieties, even doubles – the best way is to buy them as plants ‘in the green’ at the end of the season, but I’ve had plenty of luck planting bulbs. I always include some Anemone blanda, also known as Windflowers – they have delicate cut foliage and beautiful flowers from white, through pale pink to bright blues – try planting around the base of an ornamental tree. Crocus is another gorgeous early flowering bulb that can bring a swathe of colour into the garden. However, be warned the squirrels find them delicious and usually dig all of them up in my garden! Any Crocus not eaten by the squirrels are usually pecked off by the birds – they seem to love the white and yellow flowering ones.

Tulips look great in a border. I keep away from the bright, municipal colours like reds and yellows – although it’s purely a matter of taste. I like to plant Queen of the Night which is a very deep, almost black purple, then upwards through the purple colour spectrum through to pale sugar pink. Negrita is a lovely deep mauve as is Purple Prince. Shirley and Douglas Bader are both good for the pink end of the spectrum.

Make sure you include some alliums, their architectural domes are a must in the late spring garden. I like Allium ‘Purple Sensation’.

I’m not keen on daffodils in borders – their foliage leaves the border looking scruffy for ages after the flowers are gone. All the other bulbs mentioned will disappear into the border until they come up again the following season, and any residual foliage is covered quickly by emerging plants. I like to plant daffodils in pots – I have dozens of pots of them that I hide during the summer and bring out again, always adding a couple more pots each year, when they are poking their heads above the soil.

Have a look at these sites Gee Tee
and J Parker for a great range of spring flowering bulbs.

Blue Parrot Tulips

Friday 14 August 2009

My Garden - Bracknell, Berkshire

I awarded myself a day off today, well, sort of. I have been designing a garden for clients in Silchester, Berkshire and it’s going well. Rather too well, in fact. So, I decided to take a break and come back to it tomorrow just in case I’m missing something obvious.

I did a little light plant shopping in Chobham, Surrey, ostensibly, for my Crowthorne client, but whilst I was there I couldn’t resist this rather pretty Buddleja ‘Apollo Blue’. Now, I’m a bit ambivalent about Buddleja – when they are, as is often the case, not correctly pruned and deadheaded they look hideous, but when looked after properly and smothered in butterflies they look gorgeous. I have a problem place by my shed at the top of the garden under a tree, so I thought it might brighten up the space as well as encouraging more insects into the garden.



The benefits of a bit of pottering in the garden cannot be overstated. Because I had given myself a bit of time to tidy up and generally mooch around, I spotted this sweet little white Cyclamen growing amongst Euphorbia Robbiae. I don’t actually remember planting it – I am suspicious that the squirrels have moved it from elsewhere in the garden. Anyway, it looks really pretty.



Something else giving me great pleasure in the garden at the moment is this Aster frikartii ‘Monch’. Also growing in a slightly tricky place where nothing else seemed happy. I planted it in the spring hoping to plug a gap in the border at the front garden and it’s repaid me handsomely.

Friday 7 August 2009

Alfresco dining

It looks as though we’re going to have some nice weather this weekend and I, for one, will be spending as much time outside as possible. I especially like to cook and eat outside - I find it very relaxing, just like being on holiday.

With all the doom and gloom about the weather it’s easy to believe that the summer’s over, but don’t despair, we often get a gorgeous Indian summer – remember last year, it was amazing right up to the end of October. Plenty of time to get out and enjoy your garden

I’ve built two seating areas in my garden and both are sheltered enough to eat outside even when it’s not blazing sunshine. You may have to put on an extra sweater, but it’s always worth it. The secret is to create areas that protect you from the elements, but are also private so that you’re not overlooked and can feel psychologically relaxed.

I use pergolas, screens of round posts combined with tall grasses, hedges, and walls. If you create a structure over your seating area, such as a pergola, you can have a detachable canvas cover that enables you to sit out even if it’s raining. Shade sails look great and can be taken down when you’re not using them. A simple awning attached to the house will also work. If you have the budget you can build walls and combine with wooden structures to create interesting outdoor rooms within your garden. The possibilities are endless.

Add some fairy lights snaking up the pergola, into the planting, into the canopy of a parasol, or underneath your canvas awning and you can create a magical outdoor dining space – you’ll never want to eat inside again.



Seating area at the top of my garden with radial pergola and mosaic paving.