The first stage of this project was to redesign the planting of the borders facing the road. The two narrow borders had become completely swamped with astrantias and geraniums; there was no structure and no year round interest.
The borders were completely cleared apart from two pretty white roses at either side of the main gate. The new planting included Hebe rakaiensis to add structure mixed with white astrantias and purple salvias for interest throughout the summer followed by dark pink phlox for late summer colour. The borders were edged with alchemilla mollis and the lovely purple evergreen geranium – Ann Folkard.
The next stage was to organise the planting for the front sunken walled garden surrounding a pond. The huge variety of different plants that had been planted here had resulted in four borders with no cohesion. The client still wanted a cottage garden look but with more structure. We decided to keep geraniums, knautia, penstemons, scabiosa, verbena bonariensis, veronicastrum, phlox, rodanthemum and the roses and existing potentilla. Everything else was taken out!
The new scheme simply added more of the same. Three more rose, a potentilla and two cistus were added to create structure and then more of the same perennials were planted in drifts throughout the borders. Alliums were added for early Summer interest and an overgrown rock rose replaced with a variegated weigela to link to the border going through to the back garden.
In the back garden a shady border was also redesigned to create all year round interest. A golden leaved spirea echoes the hues of the existing philadelphus, a new white climbing rose will lift the area at the back and hebe rakaiensis, alchemilla mollis, tiarellas and geranium sanguineum completed the scheme with bright orange tulips planted for Spring interest.
The final stage of the redesign was to create a permanent edge to the border next to the stream and to replant for year round interest. The existing roses and philadelphus were kept and three hebe ‘Wiri Charm’ added for evergreen interest. A combination of lamium, Sedum ‘Purple Emperor’, geraniums, pulmonaria and white campanula were used to edge and run through the border. Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ and Agastache ‘Black Adder’ were then added for late Summer/Autumn interest.
