planting & design solutions Bin and bike storage This should be easily accessible from 1the house and gate. A green roof Front gardens guide softens the visual impact. Planted with sedums, it requires little maintenance. Even keen gardeners often spend Doorstep planter little time on their front gardens – Instead of using the doorstep planter yet we use them every day of 2 to hide the door key, make more of it. 3 It’s the perfect place to have a moveable feast the year. So here are three of seasonal bulbs or tender plants. inspirational designs to help you make a welcoming Plant support on the wall Annie Guilfoyle runs garden design green space out front Conventional trellis can look consultancy Creative dreary. This metal wall sculpture Landscapes (www. 3 Words & illustrations 2 adds individuality and provides a stylish creative-landscapes. ANNIE GUILFOYLE 1 com) and is director support for a beautiful rose. of garden design for KLC School of Design. 4 Ramped paving New-build dwellings should 4 comply with DDA regulations (Disability Discriminations Act), allowing Country garden 5 for wheelchair access. Ensure that the ramp is non-slip by using textured stone. When designing gardens, inspiration can be drawn from everything around you. In this Directional paving country garden two of my favourite influences Use diamond-sawn sandstone combine, with dashes of the garden at Great 5 cut in long lengths rather than Dixter in East Sussex meeting the sublime rectangles. Change the direction of the 1950s textile designs of Lucienne Day. Not 6 paving or vary the width to create a for the faint-hearted, as the colours are bold subtle effect without looking too fussy. and brassy with pink, bright orange and hot yellow colliding together. The use of Annie’s three A statement fence quirky railings and directional alternative designs Forged iron railings inspired by are intended for a paving means it may not be 1950s textiles make a funky fence. space measuring 6 everybody’s cup of tea. approximately It may not stop the dog escaping but it However, beyond the 10m by 5m. will stop passers-by in their tracks. crazy colours I have selected some really outstanding plants that will command attention Key plants for a country garden and even possibly adoration. Edgeworthia orld chrysantha has lemon drops of flowers so W Planting options richly scented in midwinter that it will uplift Bold and vibrant colours Show-stopping bulbs even the weariest soul. Neillia thibetica ensures • Geranium psilostemon • Tulipa acuminata the garden will be buzzing with bees and • Rhodohypoxis deflexa • Nectaroscordum siculum • Helianthemum subsp. bulgaricum butterflies in early summer. Clematis are ‘Henfield Brilliant’ • Tulipa ‘Cayenne’ indispensable, perfect for providing vertical • Echinacea ‘Art’s Pride’ • Allium cristophii impact in confined spaces. • Euphorbia myrsinites Most of the plants in this garden enjoy • Clematis ‘Jackmanii’ Great for green roofs • Berberis thunbergii • Sempervivum arachnoideum a moist but well-drained soil and with this ard rice / getty images; john glover / gap photos; / gap photos; john glover ard rice / getty images; ‘Pow-wow’ • Sedum spurium ards / gap photos; oscar d’arcy / garden d’arcy oscar / gap photos; ards W in mind I have placed gravel strips between W • Agastache ‘Tangerine Dreams’ Roses the junctions of the paving. This provides Allium cristophii Rhodohypoxis deflexa Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora Tulipa acuminata Rosa ‘Zépherine Drouhin’ Crocus angustifolius • R o s a ‘Zépherine Drouhin’ a perfect location for exciting seasonal Alliums are generally easy I first saw this at Keith Wiley’s ‘Babylon’ Great plants are The most exquisite of all the A stunning pink climbing It’s easy to think of crocuses Plants to make the • Rosa ‘Madge’ to grow. Heralding early extraordinary Wildside garden often maligned. The leaves species tulips. An elegant rose which is very popular as a bit old-fashioned, but treasures that require good drainage, such as neighbours stop and stare summer, these large purple in Devon, where I was emerge early and it flowers all flower with sharply pointed due to the lack of thorns. they offer a splendid show of Tulipa acuminata, Rhodohypoxis deflexa and • Edgeworthia chrysantha orbs look wonderful when captivated by its jewel-like summer in a mouth-watering petals of red and yellow. Richly scented, it will tolerate spring colour. This scented • Clematis ‘Vince Denny’ Crocus angustifolius. These little gems will punctuating the border. qualities. It won’t tolerate mix of bright orange-red with You will understand why it’s light shade but does a need species is a rich gold, flushed • Rhaphiolepis indica happily hold their own against the bolder Magnificent seedheads follow. extreme wet winter weather. a brownish centre. called the fire flame tulip. good air circulation. with mahogany stripes. from right to left: heather ed heather left: right to from images; visions / gap photos; ho visions / gap photos; images; visions / gap photos • Neillia thibetica plants, heralding the changes in season. 40 41 planting & design solutions Asymmetrical wooden fence Town garden Individual posts are set into concrete. 1Cut at different heights, and overlap or Architect Carlo Scarpa’s work is a subtle stagger some sections to accommodate low blend of minimalism and exquisite detailing. planting on the pavement side. The shadows His collaboration on the Monument to the cast add another dimension to the design. Partisan Women in Venice (pictured below) is one of his most powerful and intriguing Evergreen blocks pieces of work. Low tide reveals a woman’s Purple or brown evergreen foliage body clambering to safety over a series of 2is extremely hard to find. However, stone blocks. The asymmetry Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Tom Thumb’ looks of Scarpa’s composition has 5 wonderful when clipped into a cube shape inspired the layout of this town and provides a cunning change from box. garden. Staggered stone paving 2 accentuates the plot’s width, Water feature and plants are encouraged to The best way to attract birds into reach into the space. Simple, 3the garden is by providing water, linear fencing echoes the paving pattern and 3 be it a simple bowl or an artist-made allows glimpses into the garden. In this shady vessel. Ensure it is clearly visible from space the structural plants are evergreen, inside the house to enjoy the view. so it will look vibrant throughout the year. The colour palette is limited, using earthy 1 4 Planters on wheels tones that complement each other well. Hide the dreaded wheelie bins by Scent is a major player, with Daphne bholua 4using planters on wheels. These are ‘Alba’, Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis easy to move when the bins have to be put and Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Purpureus’ out. Make them from wood or metal, or all providing sweet perfume during winter simply fit wheels to an existing planter. and well into spring. Practically any shrub can be used to Plant supports form a hedge. For this garden I have chosen Metal strips set off the wall allow the best-behaved shrub in the world, 5space for air to circulate around the Nandina domestica. It maintains an elegant climbers. Paint in dark colours if you want shape without taking over the garden. An them to disappear or choose a bright colour unusual hedge with textural foliage, it looks to make a statement. Varying the lengths stunning – and no trimming required. The will emphasise the asymmetrical design. bins are screened behind two containers planted with bamboo (Fargesia murielae). Key plants for a town garden Planting options Evergreen structure with Good for shade burgundy/brown foliage • Pileostegia viburnoides • Pittosporum tenuifolium • Epimedium x cantabrigiense ood / gap photos W ‘Atropurpureum’ in W • Osmanthus heterophyllus Long season of interest ‘Purpureus’ (foliage flushed • Astrantia major purple when young) ‘Ruby Wedding’ • Pittosporum tenuifolium • Geranium Rozanne ‘Tom Thumb’ (=‘Gerwat’) • Nandina domestica Sweetly scented • Sarcococca hookeriana Notable climbers Akebia quinata Physocarpus Athyrium niponicum Clematis armandii Crocus ‘Prins Claus’ Fargesia murielae Nandina domestica Daphne bholua ‘Alba’ var. humilis • Akebia quinata A gorgeous climber that opulifolius ‘Diabolo’ var. pictum An evergreen that can be A beautiful crocus with an It is the finely textured leaves This essential evergreen Queen of the daphnes. This is • Daphne bholua ‘Alba’ • Clematis ‘Frances Rivis’ needs plenty of space. Richly One of my favourite Ferns are under-used in vigorous once established. alluring colour combination of that make this clump-forming is possibly at the top of my possibly the best shrub you • Clematis armandii • Clematis viticella coloured, chocolate-scented deciduous shrubs with gardens. This is one of the With superbly textured leaves white petals and a dark purple bamboo so attractive. For top-ten shrubs list. Delicate will ever plant in your front • Phlox paniculata ‘David’ ‘Flore Pleno’ flowers are often followed by stunning rich, dark brown prettiest, with painted leaves and vanilla-scented flowers streak on the outer side. This those who have a fear of using foliage and in most years garden – a compact • Narcissus ‘Petrel’ • Clematis ‘Betty Corning’ intriguing fruits. Attractive, foliage and delicate pink of silver-green and soft in late winter, it will grow regal plant will change your evergreen that has a winter bamboos, this is a good one sprays of white flowers semi-evergreen foliage. flowers in early summer. purple. Resist it if you dare! happily on a shady wall. mind about crocuses forever. / gap photos; friedrich strauss / gap photos; neil holmes left: right to from / gap photos; hughes-jones martin neil mcdiarmid / alamy; marianne majerus; mark / gap photos; drake carole frimston; victoria scent like no other plant. to start with. followed by berries. 42 43 planting & design solutions Chestnut paling fence Coastal garden Traditional and sustainable. Design it 1specifically for your garden; in this case Thomas Heatherwick’s wave-shaped undulating waves echo the coastal theme.