Category Archives: Meadows 101

Grasses – the current state of play

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Michael

The introduction of ornamental grasses into planting plans was one of the most significant changes to occur within garden design in the past twenty years. Through their inclusion amidst an evolving planting pallet of perennials, contemporary gardens took on a … Continue reading →

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Contemporary Perennial Planting – concepts and practice

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Michael

The popularity of perennials in contemporary planting schemes is increasingly linked to the movement towards a more naturalistic style of garden making. The highly structured flower borders of twentieth century European gardens have steadily given way to a looser, more … Continue reading →

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Adding Structure to Perennial Planting Schemes

Posted on December 2, 2012 by Michael

Perennials are by their very nature loose and informal especially when combined into contemporary naturalistic planting schemes. The traditional herbaceous border was created as a tableaux to be viewed from outside and was given structure by being given a framework … Continue reading →

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Evolution of a Perennial Meadow

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Michael

Four years ago I created a series of demonstration borders for Lianne’s Siergrassen; a specialised ornamental grass nursery in the north of the Netherlands. This was one of the “Perennial Meadow” schemes two week ago (mid-July 2012). Four summers on, … Continue reading →

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Success with Perennials – Establishment and Maintenance of Planting Schemes

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Michael

It is now three years since I planted nine separate perennial meadows to illustrate my eBooks and they are looking fantastic. In fact they looked good in the first year, but now we can begin to see just how successful … Continue reading →

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Have ephemeral perennials a use?

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Michael

Well actually, yes, but it all depends on what we mean by an ephemeral perennial. Ephemeral things (from the Greek, ephemeros – literally, lasting only one day) exist only briefly, such plants may be short lived or flower only briefly. … Continue reading →

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New Look Perennial Plant Borders

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Michael

There is a lot more to the idea of a perennial meadow than simply the random arrangement of a group of compatible plants to create a matrix of vegetation to replace an old lawn. In the series of posts – … Continue reading →

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Complementary Plants for Perennial Meadows

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Michael

This will be the penultimate post in the Meadows 101 section of this site, but in many ways it is one of the most important. This series of posts aims to give an introduction to the ideas and practices of … Continue reading →

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Shrubs in the Perennial Border?

Posted on February 19, 2011 by Michael

What I am about to write a lot of you will disagree with. In truth, what I am about to recommend is a rule I regularly break, but I do so in the full knowledge of the consequences. Keep shrubs … Continue reading →

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A Low Maintenance Perennial Garden

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Michael

Perennial meadows offer gardeners the opportunity to reduce the amount of garden maintenance they must undertake while at the same time increasing their garden’s appeal, both visually and for the benefit of nature, wildlife and the environment. Getting rid of … Continue reading →

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