26Sep, 2017

Shade Gardens

• By Richard Walters
• 26 Sep 2017

Shade Gardens  We all have areas of shade in our gardens, near north facing walls, under trees or hedges or even just under larger shrubs in the mixed borders. We should embrace this and see these areas as valuable planting habitats in their own right, rather than a hindrance or a drawback, with a large range of shade loving plants to choose from. Beth Chatto’s Gardens RHS Rosemoor, Devon I have designed a number of planting schemes for shady areas (click here for a project...

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26Sep, 2017

Wildlife Gardens

• By Richard Walters
• 26 Sep 2017

Wildlife Gardens  A garden without wildlife is like a house without windows – lacking a vital component necessary for full enjoyment and contentment. Wildlife gardens can help you can attract beneficial birds and insects into your garden. Planting a full range of trees, shrubs and perennials can provide valuable habitat and nutrition throughout the year. There is a huge source of valuable and interesting information to assist when choosing plants for your wildlife garden.  Check out this link to The Wildlife Trust for great ideas...

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26Sep, 2017

Winter Gardens

• By Richard Walters
• 26 Sep 2017

Winter Garden Style It is important that your winter garden looks and smells great throughout the entire year.  Whilst few of us are lucky enough to have an entire section of the garden dedicated to winter flowering plants, with some planning it is entirely possible to create a garden that retains its beauty through the winter months. Cornus with Bergenia Cambridge Botanical Gardens, Norfolk There are many wonderful winter flowering shrubs to brighten up those drab winter mornings and provide a wonderful fragrance combined. Some...

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26Sep, 2017

Water Features

• By Richard Walters
• 26 Sep 2017

Water Features Every garden design, whatever its size, should have one or two water features in order to enhance its aesthetic and ecological appeal. In order to attract beneficial birds and insects into your garden, why not install a formal or informal pond to match your garden’s existing style and characteristics? Gold Medal Garden (2017) The Water Gardens at Beth Chatto Gardens in Colchester Whilst you may not be able to install a pond to match the magnificent formal pond at Bicton Park in Devon,...

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26Sep, 2017

English Cottage Gardens

• By Richard Walters
• 26 Sep 2017

English Cottage Garden Style The quintessential English Cottage garden is arguably the most beautiful style that we can aspire to, with an informal and relaxed atmosphere, amazing colours and lingering fragrance reaching out across the garden. Heavily influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement in the 19th century, famous examples include Gertrude Jekyll’s Munstead Wood and Christopher Lloyd’s Great Dixter. A classic English Country Garden at RHS Rosemoor Whilst you can include almost anything in your English Garden, there are various must-have plants, featuring shrubs...

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26Sep, 2017

Mediterranean Garden

• By Richard Walters
• 26 Sep 2017

Mediterranean Garden Easy to maintain and effortlessly stylish, the planting combinations found in a Mediterranean or dry gardens can be truly breathtaking. Soaring verbenas mix with gently swaying grasses, whilst repeated drifts of purple salvias and lavender provide the underlying colour feature throughout the garden. Click here to see an example of a recent Mediterranean garden I designed and built in North Norfolk and another example in Gorleston. Formal Mediterranean garden Structure in Mediterranean gardens is provided with Olive and Cypress trees, palms and ferns,...

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