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Category: Garden Design

Design, landscaping construction and layouts. Special types of garden and notable design features

Topiary Tips and Sites to Visit

Topiary Tips and Sites to Visit

Some evergreen shrubs lend themselves to topiary and simple sculpture shapes. From simple Box hedges as knot gardens to large geometric shapes you can train and prune to get effects with a large range of plants and shrubs.

Good Plants to Start
Yew (Taxus) is a traditional topiary subject that stands hard pruning with it’s fine textured needles and moderate growth rates.
Juniper is a fine textured evergreen with tree, shrub and prostrate forms that respond to pruning.
Holly (Ilex) is a glossy leaved evergreen with various leaf forms depending on variety. It is slow growing and can be trimmed quite hard.
Box (Boxus) is useful for smaller sculpted shapes needing fine detail. It is slow growing.
Cupressus are often used for spiral shapes or cloud pruning.
Bay (Laurel nobilis) has coarse aromatic leaves that are popular for training as a round-headed standard.

Book Cover

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Copper Beech Hedge

Copper Beech Hedge

Copper beech is not copper coloured until autumn when the leaves turn to a burnt brown colour. There are green leaved beech hedges and purple leaved copper beech. The leaves stay on the tree until spring when new buds are fit to burst.

Hints about Copper Beech

  • The leaves can be a dark purple colour or a bright green but both turn to a similar shade of brown.
  • Beech can be pruned hard and shaped in to hedges or loose topiary.
  • Beech is also sold as Fagus sylvatica (purpurea for the purple leaved variety)
  • Young whips(single stemmed saplings) or 2 foot high trees can be bought inexpensively for hedging or to turn into bonsai.
  • Read about Beech root and branch review.
  • This is my favourite poem about Hedges by Les Barker

Reg was a lonely glow worm,
All alone in the big city night;
Lady glow worms didn’t like him,
Never really thought him too bright.

She was just a red glow in the gutter,
Alone, perhaps lonely like him;
His heart simply melted like butter;
Her light made all others seem dim.

But tonight he would not be requited;
Her warm love could never be Reg’s
For he was a lonely glow worm
And she was a Benson and Hedges.

He asked did she come here often,
Asked if she fancied a drink;
She might perhaps like a light ale;
No reply; not a nod; not a wink.

She was just a red glow in the gutter,
Smouldering; sultry; aloof.
Not one single word did she utter,
And Reg never guessed at the truth.

His heart was aflame with desire,
But her fire was a pyre; it was Reg’s;
For he was a lonely glow worm
And she was a Benson and Hedges.

He desperately wanted to know her,
There in the big city night;
And there, like a moth to the flame,
Reg was drawn to the light.

She was just a red glow in the gutter,
A beacon of love in the mist;
She lay where some smoker had put her
And Reg could no longer resist.

He burned more than his fingers that evening;
Now he carries a torch with scorched edges,
For he was a lonely glow worm
And she was a Benson and Hedges.

>He fell like a fool for a cigarette,
For passion can have strange effects
And his contact lenses were missing,
And a tortoise had trod on his specs.

She was just a red glow in the gutter,
Unmoved by wit, wisdom or wealth,
Sat a firefly on fire and a-flutter
And seriously damaged his health.

All she left was a small pile of charcoal;
Remember those embers are Reg’s,
For he was a lonely glow worm
And she was a Benson and Hedges.

  Visit Les Barker’s Website
http://www.mrsackroyd.com/

Architectural Phormium

Architectural Phormium

Tips for Growing Phormium

  • Phormiums make a striking architectural plant and feature in your garden.
  • Called New Zealand flax the sword like leaves are leathery and useful for flower decorations.
  • This variety of variegated Phormium tenax is 6 foot tall.
  • Plants are usually vegetatively propagated  so look like the parent plant.
  • Some plants can be grown from seed but I have no experience.
  • Try Phormium as a potted plant.
  • Propagate by division cutting slices from the edge of a root ball.

Lots of varieties including, Apricot Queen, Black Edge, Bronze, Bronze Baby, Co-ordination, Copper Beauty, Coppershine, Dark Delight, Duet, Emerald Isle, Emerald Pink, Evening Glow, Gold Sword, Jack Spratt, Jester, Maori Sunrise, Pink Panther, Pink Stripe, Platt’s Black, Rainbow Maiden, Rubra, Sundance, Surfer Boy, Thumbelina, Tom Thumb, Tricolor, Yellow Wave. are available from http://www.fernwood-nursery.co.uk/phormium.htm

phormium1

Children’s Bottle Gardens and Terrariums

Children’s Bottle Gardens and Terrariums

photo by medoriastar

Bottle Gardens for children can be entertaining and educational. Plants can be supplemented with small toys as any gardening is meant to be fun.

Containers and Bottles
At the larger end you may want a fish tank garden, which is easier to plant up and maintain. Cut a piece of glass to fit on the top.
An old sweet jar laid on it’s side or a goldfish bowl can be planted up
Clear glass is needed to get photosynthesis working.
The larger the bottle top the easier it will be to fill and maintain.

How to Plant up
Put in a 2″ layer of fine gravel to aid drainage
Cover with a layer of compost no more than 2-3 ”
Plant mini plants in the compost, taller growers at the back.
Cover again with a thin layer of gravel to hold soil in place.


Small Plants for a Children’s Bottle Garden

Select plants that are slow growing and dwarf in habit like:-

  • Polka dot plants Hypoestes phyllostachya
  • Friendship plant Pilea involucrata terxtured or lined varieties
  • Peperomias are compact with heart shaped leaves
  • African violets and the carpet plant Episcia both have good flowers

Cultivation of your Bottle Garden

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Architectural Yucca Plants

Architectural Yucca Plants

Book Cover

For architectural plants we seem to think of spiky leaves like Cordylines, Phormiums and Yuccas. If you are keen to understand the differences and a bit of history of each species try ‘Architectural Plants What to Grow and How to Grow it’

If you just want shape and form in your garden try some Yuccas which have exotic foliage and then flower like a lily.

yucca-flowers

Yucca plants are succulent and retain moisture in the leaf and trunk. Read more about Succulents.

Yucca are easy to care for

Yucca are long lived plants.

Repot your Yucca every few years with fresh compost.

Read about Exotic plant books on Garden Products

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Gunnera and Unrelated BrunneraTips

Gunnera and Unrelated BrunneraTips

Massive Gunnera Tips

  • Gunnera with giant green leaves grow over 6 feet tall and spread even wider. They are not for small spaces!
  • Gunnera are moisture loving, herbaceous plants best suited for stream or lakeside positions.
  • They make specimen architectural plants for a bog garden but control the size.
  • Cover the plant to protect from hard frost
  • Sometimes called giant rhubarb the leaves are not edible

Brunnera Tips

  • Heart shaped variegated leaves followed by blue, forget-me-not look alike, flowers make this a very attractive plant.
  • Brunneras like a moist soil but can tolerate some dry spells
  • Brunneras also like shade and are useful in a woodland setting
  • Grow in containers or as ground cover these 18inch high plants are versatile.
  • A new golden leaved form is available www.parkseedjournal
Cut down on Pollen for a Low Allergy Garden –

Cut down on Pollen for a Low Allergy Garden –

Breathing Allergies

Hay fever sufferers don’t need to told about the typical symptoms of sniffing, sneezing, puffy eyes, sore throat and a runny nose. Starting in spring through summer these symptoms are likely to be caused by pollen and allergens. All year round symptoms are more likely to be caused by dust mites or pets such as cats.

Asthma is characterised by chest and breathing problems and can be caused by allergic triggers such as pollution, infection, or allergens. Airborne particles including pollen and fungal spores can bring on an attack especially if there is a known susceptibility to asthma.

Pollen-on-hazel-catkins

Hay Fever and Asthma sufferers should cut down on Pollen

  • Given the above it is logical to avoid plants that are high in pollen particularly those that are wind pollinated. This includes grasses, weeds like docks and plantains, trees and shrubs that flower before the leaves are fully formed such as Hazel,Alder, Oak, Poplar, Sycamore and Birch.
  • Use other low pollen trees such as pink or red Hawthorne, Crab Apple, Prunus Cherries or Mountain Ash. These trees attract Bees so if allergic to stings then be even more selective with Ameleranchier or double flowered Japanese Cherries.
  • Female flowers do not produce pollen so chooses them in preference to male plants. Male trees or shrubs all produce large amounts of allergenic pollen.
  • If you can avoid having a lawn that may be best if not cut it regularly before it flowers or better still get a none sufferer to cut it. This is because even un-flowered grass will have trapped other pollen, dust and spores that is disturbed when cut.
  • For play areas use play ground rubber, artificial turf or inert covering but be aware of dusty surfaces.
  • For flat areas use ponds or water to reflect other green colours from the garden.

Select varieties with low Allergic pollens

  • Herbs like Chives, Thyme, Mint, Bay and Sage or the hotter Caraway, Cumin and Coriander but be wary of bees that are attracted by scent to pollinate the plants
  • Hosta come in a wide range of textured and coloured leaves. occasionally a variety may have scented flowers but these can be cut off.
  • Pink or red Pholx like P. paniculata Barnwell avoid the more scented whites
  • Geum and various Penstemon may be comparatively short lived but you won’t need a constant supply of tissues.
  • Hydrangea lacecap varieties or Spirea Japonica provide shrub interest
  • Large flowered Clematis and passion flowers can provide height as climbing plants
  • Annuals and biennials offer a fairly good choice including Busy Lizzie, Forget-me-not, Lobelia, Universal pansy (not the scented violas), Petunia, Nigella and Nasturtium.
  • Plant disease-resistant varieties as mildew, rust and black spot   reproduce by spores.

Plants with Pollen to Avoid

  • Pampas grass and ornamental grasses
  • Marigold or Calendula and Achillea or Yarrow have pollen which can cause asthma
  • Chrysanthemums and Shasta Daisy have allergenic pollen
  • Even Privet and Elder can trigger hay fever or asthma
  • Weeping Silver Birch, Willow trees and any ‘catkin’ forming trees are a risk of Hay fever and asthma

More Information

Read about Scent and Smell   in low allergy gardens.

Books from Amazon:
Book Cover
Creating a low-allergen Garden by Lucy Huntington

Allergy Free Gardening by Thomas L Ogren

Three Dimensional Garden

Three Dimensional Garden

Trapoleum

Make better use of your space by thinking in 3D.
Height is an obvious area for development of a more intensely 3D garden but depth can be developed by planting blues at the back as they make distances recede.
Root vegetables, roof gardens, living walls and other developments are pushing the boundaries (Oh yes pinching some garden from someone’s boundary is a new dimension). Stop this silliness Ed.

Vertical Dimension Ideas

  • Obelisks, pergolas, arbours, arches even simple wigwams can provide a structure for climbers and scramblers.
  • Cloth eyesores with some trellis or strong wires followed by plants.
  • Grow more cordons and standards for fruit, Roses even Fucshias.
  • Use hedges for Trapoleum speciosum (shown above) with it’s showy, fiery red flowers and prominent spur. Even conifers can act as hosts.
  • Hang potted plants from tree branches

Dry Stone Wall Gardens
Drystone Wall Garden

Rock plants and alpines are quite at home in the crevices between rocks in a wall.

Roof Gardens
Roof Garden

Roof Gardens do not need to have been constructed with layers of soil on top of a membrane. A range of pots and containers will be lighter, effective and easier to water. Some trailing plants near the edge may be interesting to break the roof or sky line.

Read Flowering Climbers

Crammed Garden with too Many Plants

Crammed Garden with too Many Plants

Sedum & Fucshia

My son complains that I cram in too many plants into my garden. I guess he is right but I garden for plants not hard landscapes, not sculpture and certainly not for bare soil.

Problems of Too many Plants

  • There is often no space for that great new plant but I cram it in anyway. I often put a plant in the only place available rather than the location that would best suit it. I regret it later because the colour schemes become totally random.
  • Weaker plants can be smothered and killed by the thugs in the garden.
  • Plants need space to reach their full potential and look their individual best.
  • Plants that are too close together can attract mildew and other diseases.
  • Water needs to get down to the roots and a canopy of leaves can create dry spots.

Morley 020

Garden Areas with Too Many Plants

  • I have started collecting and growing Alpines because I can get a lot more plants in a small space. Even so I find it hard to create gaps when everything is in full flow.
  • The border is intended to become ‘low maintenance’ to give me time to focus on other projects. For this area it is fine for the plants to be close together.
  • Vegetable gardens need allotted space as you do want good crops.
  • Natural gardens are fine with lots of wild flowers or local plants but too much grass can then smother smaller plants.

Rhododendron group

The Case for Too Many Plants

  • Life is too short not to aim for abundance. I love the free seeds from RHS and AGS seed distributions. This provides me with lots of plants of varieties I have not already got.
  • A riot of colour, shape and form can be therapeutic as can my informality.
  • You generally have something available to give away.
  • If you neglect a part of the garden for a while it can still seem naturalistic and in keeping with the rest of the garden.
  • You do not need to worry about ground cover, real selected plants can do that job.

Intensive Gardens

  • The term intensive gardening is usually reserved for a raised bed system. Deeper richer soil will support more and better plants or so the theory goes.
  • Interplanting is second nature in a crammed garden, in fact I interplant the interplants.

 

INTENSIVE SPACING GUIDE

 

Plant Inches Plant Inches
Asparagus 15 – 18 Chard, Swiss 6 – 9
Aubergines 18 – 24 Courgette 18-24
Beans, runner 6 – 12 Lettuce, head 10 – 12
Beans, bush 4 – 6 Onion 2 – 4
Beetroot 2 – 4 Peas 2 – 4
Broccoli 12 – 18 Peppers 12 – 15
Brussels sprouts 15 – 18 Potatoes 10 – 12
Cabbage 15 – 18 Sweet corn 15 – 18
Carrots 2 – 3 Tomatoes 18 – 24
Cauliflower 15 – 18 Turnip 4 – 6
Cucumber 12 – 18 Leeks 3 – 6

Sources

University of Arizona for the spacing guide