The family that live here are now doing construction work to the house and wanted to carry on with the design of their garden. So, we stepped in to make some positive changes. Either side of the porcelain patio, we decided to create new planted borders. Whilst Flo got to work scalping both of these areas of turf, I went off to get suitable plants for the space.
Our customer requested easy to maintain plants, and were particularly keen to have a Magnolia. We planted some evergreen’s; Rosemary, Pittosporum ‘midget,’ and Euphorbia ‘Black Pearl,’ along with deciduous, Hydrangea ‘Annabelle,’ Thyme, a pale pink Cranesbill geranium and Salvia nemorosa in Purple and White to compliment the rest of the border.
After bringing in a truck load, we mulched both borders on either side of the patio. After that we started working on some new bamboo planters. The width of the patio is just under 4m, so we brought in three sleek, black aluzinc, lightweight planters which were 1.2m each and perfectly fit the area.
We filled the planters with a mixture of John Innes and organic compost. An ancient apple tree walkway is behind the screening. It is so old that it is protected with a conservation order, and can be seen on this Victorian map. This area used to be part of the formal gardens of an old country estate, with the apple walkway still in tact and cared for to this day. Fascinating!
It has recently had renovation pruning by a skilled team, which means it is now lower than before. Our customer is keen for the new bamboo to create a better screen for privacy behind the patio.
We planted Phyllostachys nigra – Black Bamboo, along with Fargesia. Fargesia is very hardy and grows to 3m. Both the black bamboo and Fargesia are clump forming and perfect for planters. The black bamboo will grow to 4/5m, so this area will fill out quickly and well.
We topped off the planters with mulch to help retain moisture during the summer, suppress weeds and generally create a top dressing that looks good and will rot down into the planters over time.
Once we had finished the bamboo planters, we moved to plant some Cherry Laurel behind the timber screening. We carefully planted two plants towards the back of the space, in between the apple trees. These will also grow up, to match the rest of the laurel around the perimeter of the garden. Which will also give added privacy.
Come back and check in with us next week, as we will be planting a 45L Liriodendron, in this garden, commonly known as the Tulip tree.
