Early flowering Mahonia x media ‘Winter Sun’ is the highlight in my garden this Christmas in Amsterdam. ‘Winter Sun’ flowers from the end of November through into January. This is earlier than the better known Mahonia ‘Charity’ which will be ready to take over its role somewhat later in the new year. These easy growing …
Mahonia x media ‘Winter Sun’—Small Garden Shrubs for Winter Read More »
It is in late spring, just after the tulips have ended, that I become delighted by the many flowering shrubs and distinctive foliage colours that seem to dominate the garden. Of course there are various perennials flowering including Euphorbia, Geum, Geranium and bulbous plants such as Camassia and ornamental onions, but foliage colours and the flowering mounds …
My last post showed the garden three weeks ago just after I had knocked down all the perennials with the question “would you want your garden looking like that?”. Well, as promised, the perennials have reappeared rapidly to cover the ground level debris and the shrubs are bursting into flower. This is how it was …
Shrubs are at their most useful when they bring height and flower colour to those gardens dominated by perennials. This is the case in my own gardens in early summer. I try to select shrubs that will sit high and command the borders in which they grow. By late summer those that once drew all the …
Books For Christmas 2014 There are not many books around that will actually teach you to use shrubs effectively in your garden. Too many shrub books are written by experts and focus on the plants at the expense of design; how many magnolias, rhododendrons or Judas trees can the average person fit into their home garden? …
I have been telling everyone about Pachyphragma macrophyllum over many years, but still it is a little known ground cover perennial. Shrub feature borders combine special shrubs with other plants to create bold units of planting that play a role in the design and organisation of garden landscapes. In this square feature border shrubs including …
Combining Perennial Meadows and Shrub Feature Borders Read More »
A shrub feature border consists of a selection of characterful woody plants presented within a mixed perennial meadow planting. The concept has arisen from a need to use shrubs with more effect in planting designs. In the same way that perennial meadows are created using a mix of theme plants and complementary plants, the shrubs …
Shrubs in Perennial Meadows — SHRUB FEATURE borders eBook Read More »
As part of my current research into the use of shrubs in planting design I have recently spent a few days in England visiting amongst other things the national collection of berberis at Sherwood House in Devon. This privately owned garden houses fascinating collections of trees and shrubs, in particular acers, magnolias and, the reason …
The model for using shrubs in European gardens has hardly changed in decades, maybe even centuries. It seems to stem from a time when gardens were considerably larger than is currently the case and a period in which new plants including shrubs were being discovered around the world and being gathered for use in Western …
How do you choose the shrubs you grow in your gardens? Most gardeners, like me, read books and become inspired to try out something new. Many more visit the garden centre in spring and choose something attractive that appeals to them; we are all guilty of this. Either way, we all end up walking around the …
Thinking about Shrubs – Part Two – Top Criteria for Selecting Shrubs for Gardens Read More »