Tulip Tree Gardens Page 2.

he owners had recently moved into their single

storey home and had refurbished the interior in a

modern style. Now their attention was on the front

and rear garden which were overdue for an update.

Although there were some plants of

sentimental value, and some good

screening with mature trees to the

front and an established beech

hedge in the rear garden, much of

the area was laid to lawn with a

‘seventies’ style abundance of conifers. The one

‘cottage-style’ flower border had become weed infested

and difficult to maintain.

The owners were keen plants-

people and, having grown a wide

range of plants in their previous

garden, were keen to experiment

at their new address. The brief was simply to remove all lawned areas to

both the front and rear of the house and design a

garden that provided year round colour and interest

using an extensive range of plants. Also desirable

would be a glasshouse for the propagation of alpines

and auriculas. The Solution

The garden extended across the whole width of the

house and wasn’t particularly deep. Therefore the

challenge was to provide varying vistas from the house

windows, in particular the large kitchen window and the

patio doors which led outside from the adjacent dining

room. The existing paved patio area was to remain for

the time being.

The garden was thus

designed using trellis

screens halfway across

the garden to provide two

clearly defined halves. In

front of the trellis and in

full view of the kitchen

window was a Mediterranean style gravelled area with

central terracotta urn water feature. Here the planting is

a mix of cool pastels and silver foliage.

A circle of gravel

surrounds the water

feature and, beyond that,

borders of mixed

perennials and shrubs

held together by evenly

spaced box balls which

provide an evergreen

framework in winter. The

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T trelliswork was quickly covered with a curtain of

pastel pink climbing roses and the glossy heart

shaped leaves of a silver variegated ivy.

Repeated plant shapes are

often used throughout our

gardens. It’s a technique that

helps to add a sense of

harmony and is restful on the

eye. Silver Weeping Pear

(pyrus salicifolia pendula) is

central to one large bed, underplanted with

herbaceous perennials. To the left of the photograph

is Cercidypyllum Japonicum pendulum- a small tree

of weeping habit with foliage that emerges in spring

like pink filigree lacework and the added attraction of

autumnal leaves that send alluring wafts of burnt

toffee across the garden.

Views out from the Windows This garden, like many of our designs, is arranged

around attractive views from inside the house with

glimpses of inviting features such as seating to lure

the viewer out. From the dining room window the view

is of a pathway of rustic grey granite setts which

passes beneath timber archways- specially chosen to mimic the apex of the house roof- and culminates in

the attractive Victorian alpine house. We grow

selected annual plants such as this fast climber,

Cobaea-scandens, to help give the garden a mature

look in its first summer. Diverse Routes

and Secret Seats One of the added

features of the

garden is that,

despite its relatively

small size, there are

a number of

circulation routes.

We were conscious of making the garden interesting

for the couple’s small grandson. A path from the

Victorian glasshouse cuts through a low hedge of

cornus, grown for its vibrant winter stems.

It veers off onto a ‘secret’ stepping stone pathway

through a small barked

woodland area to a ‘castle’

of upright timberstone

sleepers hidden behind a

wooden arbour. Seats

elsewhere in the garden

provide hiding places for

mischievous children!

“Plantsmans’s Paradise” Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire