Bulbs, that time again… let’s make plans….

Bulbs, so we’ve reached that time of year again as our seasons now change. The garden starts to dissolve into various shades of brown or, dare I say it, yellow… as we move gently from summer to autumn. We are all busy, but it’s that time of year again, let’s make plans. Planning ahead is always a priority in the garden and with our vast experience, we can help you to achieve this. 

Bulb Planting

Whether your garden is already full of spring bulbs, there is always room for more bulb planting, therefore we always encourage clients to take pictures of their garden. We like to return to completed projects but through the seasons, clients’ images also helps us to understand where there may be pockets of the garden still to fill. October is a great month to plant spring bulbs while November is preferable for tulips. These can be packed into planters in layers (think lasagna) for maximum effect. Again, we can recommend varieties that will compliment each other not only in colour but height and flowering period. Delicious varieties such as Tulipa “Brown Sugar” and “Paul Scherer” will sing next to Tulipa “Madonna”. Deep raspberry tones of hyacinth “Woodstock” will become firm friends with the smaller Muscari. Whilst later appearances will be made by outstanding alliums. We favour white varieties such as the impressive “Mont Blanc” and “White Cloud”. These really look impressive not only in stature but are a cool, silhouette against a dark backdrop or amongst shorter neighbours. 

These important additions to the garden form our first glimpses of life after a possible long, hard winter. However, wrap up and enjoy your garden too through the colder months. There is nothing more invigorating than taking a steaming hot coffee and finding a sheltered, sunny spot in the winter sunshine. 

Cutting back your garden, autumn axe or spring shear?

What’s the best approach for cutting back your garden? Seasonal interest is always top of our clients’ requirements in regard to the planting, once the garden has been built. We work closely with our clients to ensure a detailed brief is set. This is agreed with visual boards, sketches and plant lists, all alongside clear planting plans and schedules. Evergreens, hedges and trees always provide the “bones” of the garden. But what about the smaller plants? The lovely flowery perennials and grasses? When collating the planting scheme, we consider how these will look through the winter. Seedheads, hips and strong, structural forms of these smaller plants maintain such beauty and interest through the colder months.

Autumn vs Spring tidy

“Putting the garden to bed” used to be en vogue, chopping everything down neatly in autumn and applying a good blanket of mulch. Mulch still of course is a good idea to keep everything snug. Protecting the more delicates such as dahlia tubers and agapanthus for example, however we believe leaving anything that will look interesting until the spring. Obviously some plants disappear naturally through their regeneration process. You certainly wouldn’t want to leave the “slimey” characters (agapanthus spring to mind again), but there are so many that will provide you with a stunning skeletal quality. The harsh frosts of a cold winter lick these remnants with their icy tongue to leave behind such beauty. If you don’t suffer from OCD and can cope with a little untidiness, leave all alone until the spring. Slight dishevelled appearance of the winter garden will reward you measurably with stunning organic shapes. The stunning interest will continue through the season until new growth appears. Be sure to enjoy the crisp colder months that the winter days bring even if it maybe from the warmth of inside.

Accessorising your garden

As a nation, we love to accessorise our homes and accessorising your garden should be no exception. We find once the new garden has been built from our design plans, the plants go in and completely transform the whole space. The inevitable noise, mess and disruption of the build is over. Finally some soft, gentle green and colour is added to give height, structure, movement but also layers. I always compare a garden creation to painting. The layers need to be built up. You have the outline, the black and white, the stark, harsh materials but the plants make the whole picture sing. These verdant, living creatures are without a heartbeat but are included in your garden to make you miss one now and again. 

Add some simple accessories. Strategically placed sculpture as a focal point will help you find a place in the garden that may otherwise be lost. A series of pots will allow extra planting in maybe an area that is a bit lacking in “green”. They will break up a large expanse of terrace or illuminate a dark corner. We can help you choose and suggest suitable ones. Lanterns and simple tea lights add gentle warmth and a sense of place. Be bold and “dress” your dining or seating area. Add large cushions, choose fabrics that don’t match but that will compliment each other in their colour scheme. Select some cosy throws so you can wrap up and continue to enjoy the garden despite the evenings getting a little cooler as they are now. 

Gardens are so important to us, make sure you can enjoy every last minute out there…. Oh and leave your phone inside…. 

Glamorous pickings, cut, cut and flower again

After time and effort spent in your garden, it is such a delight to bring your blooms into the house. Nothing can be more true than the glamorous pickings of blousy dahlias. After the last frosts have passed, planting dried up looking, brown dahlia tubers in May, it is hard to believe that anything so delicious can grow from such an ugly looking, knarled form. This is when gardening really comes into it’s own, when the first signs of green shoots pop up through the soil’s surface. This small wonder brings such excitement knowing that there is rich life and wonderful flowers ahead.

Yes they need some encouragement, I feed mine once a week with a liquid Seaweed or Tomato feed and they are thirsty so need regular watering. The central tips should be pinched out to encourage stronger flowers. This filled me with dread the first time I performed such a brutal act, it seemed so wrong to remove the tops when they looked so healthy. But be brave, the confidence of doing this will pay you dividends!

Dahlia care

Stake early to keep everything upright and supported, the blooms can be heavy so keep an eye to tie the stems in as they get taller. I use pea sticks and garden twine which is perfect. As the plants start to flower, keep picking to encourage more, the joy of taking them into the house is so rewarding and they make a lovely gift to take to friends. Add some other “bits” from the garden to make a really pretty display. I sometimes float the blooms in a shallow bowl or use a few small vases each filled with dahlias for maximum effect.

Dalia’s will keep flourishing until the first frosts. Then the big question…. once you’ve cut them down… should they stay or should they go? I leave mine in situ with a deep mulch blanket over the top for the cold months ahead, I don’t have the time or space to be digging them up and tuber-sitting over the winter and this seems to work in the South of England. A good tip is to pop a plant label in by each one so you can remember the exact location of where they are next year. It’s easy to get excited in the spring thinking you have an empty space for new plants only to find that space is already home to a dahlia!

Be bold, be brave with your colour combinations and revel in the beauty that will behold.