Aberdeen Garden: Planting Design
Design Brief To create a planting plan for a South West facing back garden in Aberdeen’s West End. This included a border close to the house next to a sunny patio, an entrance border to the garden from existing steps and enhanced planting to existing borders in the garden. The design brief for this sunny […]
Inverurie Garden: Planting Design
Design Brief To create a planting plan for a new build back garden in Inverurie which was predominately laid to lawn. The design brief for this South facing garden was for all year round colour and interest with textural plants in purples, pinks and whites. The client wanted some vertical height in the planting to […]
What to do in your garden in January
It’s January and the start of a new gardening year. Despite the wintery weather here are some jobs you can be doing in your own garden this month:- Complete winter pruning of fruit trees; Prune wisteria shortening summer pruned shoots back to two or three buds from old wood; Remember to water planted containers in […]
January’s plant of the month
January’s plant of the month is Mahonia japonica – an evergreen shrub which flowers in winter (one of the few that does!). It has leathery, spiny leaves so is good to use as a barrier plant. Fragrant yellow flowers, sometimes followed by black or purple berries. It will grow to a height of 1.5m in […]
December’s plant of the month
December’s plant of the month is Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’. This is a great plant for achieving structure and colour in winter. Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ is a deciduous, upright-growing shrub with dark green leaves. It bears clusters of small white flowers in spring and early summer, followed by small white berries. It is most commonly grown […]
What to do in your garden in December
It’s December! Where has the year gone? There are still some jobs you can be doing in the garden in the depths of winter (snow allowing!):- Check your winter protection structures are secure; Check that greenhouse heaters are working ok; Prevent ponds and stand pipes from freezing; Prune open-grown apples and pears (but not those […]
November’s plant of the month
It’s November and here’s our plant of the month! It’s Hylotelephium ‘Herbstfreude’ also known as Sedum ‘Herbstfreude’ (Autumn Joy). ‘Herbstfreude’ is an herbaceous perennial forming a clump to 60cm in height. It has fleshy, oblong, glaucous green leaves and large flat terminal clusters of starry flowers in early autumn. The flowers open from greenish-pink buds, […]
October’s plant of the month
October’s plant of the month is the autumn flowering crocus or Crocus speciosus. This is a small deciduous perennial which grows from a corm. Also known as ‘Naked Ladies’ it has linear leaves usually with a silvery central stripe, and goblet-shaped, sometimes fragrant flowers which appear in autumn. Crocus speciosus has silvery lilac-blue flowers in […]
What to do in your garden in October
Here are a few jobs to keep on top of as we approach winter:- Protect your plants – lift half hardy perennials and pot them up and put them in the greenhouse. Lift Dahlia tubers once the foliage is blackened by the first frost, dry them off and store them for next year. Lift and […]
September’s plant of the month
September’s plant of the month is Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’. This is a fabulous plant for brightening up the garden in early autumn. It grows in sun or shade with an abundance of elegant, cup-shaped, white flowers on tall stems. It flowers from August to October. The leaves are dark green and semi-evergreen. Best […]