Journal

22 April 2013

New topiary arrives at Allt-y-bela

As the late frosty mornings depart and a new spring air seems finally to have settled over Allt-y-bela, we are spending more time in the garden here soaking up the few rays the sun has allowed us. This year, our main change to the garden is the addition of new topiary, which gives me great pleasure. Topiary is a passion of mine and I thoroughly enjoyed placing my new trees around the courtyard here last week.

The lane leading to the house is very narrow and unsuitable for lorries so we had to unload and transport the trees one by one. A neighbouring farmer allowed us the use of his front loader and helped us bring the trees down to the garden.

Since painting the house and buildings last year I have felt that the yew topiary needed accenting with a different colour and texture. The wonderful rusty brown leaves of copper beech in winter, followed by the sumptuous deep purple of the summer foliage against the vibrant lime wash of the house and palette of existing flowers, seemed the most perfect combination. My renewed love of copper beech is as a direct result of the Laurent-Perrier Bicentenary Garden I designed for the Chelsea Flower Show last year. I have brought in balls and a dome beech around the courtyard to make the whole area feel more intimate.

I have for a while being contemplating a change to the way we use this courtyard area between the main house and the granary where we hold our garden courses. Ultimately I would like to cobble an oval area here, planting it with verbascums, nepetas and other self-seeders and layering with topiary.  By enclosing the views and entrances I am allowing the courtyard to be the centre of the garden, no longer a drive through for cars. Perhaps eventually we could divert cars completely via the track at the top of the common, leaving the courtyard to be entirely part of the garden. But for now, I am happy with the new topiary and am enjoying the fresh vistas they allow.

4 April 2013

A busy start to the year

As the unpredictable Spring weather continues, I am reminded of our very wet build up to the Chelsea Flower Show last year. The Laurent-Perrier Bicentenary Garden was undoubtedly the highlight of our year and so it is with some nostalgia that I look back. Our filmmaker James is at the show for Laurent-Perrier again this year but to round up our time there he has put together a final edit of the footage we were fortunate enough to be able to shoot.

We wish all the team at Laurent-Perrier, Crocus and Ulf Nordfjell all the very best for their Chelsea 2013 garden, and hope the sun finally shines on SW3 as it did for us last year.

30 May 2012

In celebration of the Laurent-Perrier Bicentenary Garden

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show always seems to present gardeners, young and old, with a little slice of horticultural magic at a time of year when inspiration is required in the face of inclement weather. This year was no exception, and the rain we experienced during April and the first half of May was swept away to reveal stunning Spring skies and warm, tropical sunshine. 

Visitors to the Laurent-Perrier Bicentenary Garden were overwhelmingly supportive and complementary of the design. Everyone seemed to love the planting - in particular the number of roses we used in the garden, and the way in which they were trained. As I stood talking to visitors about the garden, and handing out planting leaflets, I found myself explaining the technique of weaving pliable hazel canes into domes again, and again. 

I was truly touched by all the comments we received. It was such an affirmation that the design I felt would evoke memories of childhood gardens, and romantic, hazy summer days, really did achieve the reaction I had hoped for. And I have made such lovely friends - in the brilliant team at Crocus and the fabulous family firm of Champagne Laurent-Perrier.

It felt rather melancholy to be saying goodbye to the garden on Saturday. Having spent the best part of a month building and enjoying it, the garden felt like one of my own. The plants were growing - particularly the roses - and I found myself pruning and maintaining the borders as I would at home. So to celebrate its success and popularity, enjoy the short film which James Aiken has put together for us in celebration of the Laurent-Perrier Bicentenary Garden.

23 May 2012

An RHS Gold Medal

David Hesketh MW, the garden team and I waited patiently on Tuesday morning for the cavalry of BBC reporters, cameras and cables to make their way to our garden. It seemed their route around the showground was not at all planned as they weaved their way from one side to the next, but we were thrilled to receive our Gold Medal when it finally arrived.

The Laurent-Perrier Bicentenary Garden, although constructed in 17 days, has been in the making for over 10 years! I started thinking about it not long after my first Chelsea appearance in 2000, and have been adding to and honing the design ever since. I first met David at the end of 2010 after which preparations for this garden really started to take shape. I feel we have built a really strong relationship over that time and I am sure it will continue to thrive long after the curtain is drawn on this fleeting garden event. 

So it is with great pride that David and I accepted our medal on Tuesday morning. The early morning chill soon lifted with temperatures soaring to 27 degrees by mid-afternoon. And what a reception the garden has received by visitors to the show. I have been so touched by the lovely comments about the garden's planting scheme, its colours and scents, and it is the reaction of visitors which has made the unveiling of this anniversary garden so special for me. 

Thank you to all who have been involved - you know who you are! And here's to the glorious weather continuing throughout the week. 

Champagne Laurent-Perrier

Crocus

20 May 2012

The making of a garden: Part III

In the third in our series of short films we give you a glimpse into the build and planting of the Laurent-Perrier Bicentenary Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. James Aiken has once again shot a beautifully executed film, which leads us elegantly into show week. 

15 May 2012

The making of a garden: Part II

We are well into the planting of the Laurent-Perrier Bicentenary Garden now. The design I have created for Laurent-Perrier is really coming together and I am so excited to finally see the garden in its entirety. 

To celebrate Champagne Laurent-Perrier's bicentenary, and to mark their 18th Chelsea Flower Show, we have worked with filmmaker James Aiken to produce a series of beautiful, elegant films which really reflect the essence of the garden. 

9 May 2012

Progress despite the rain

The Crocus team continue to make good progress on the build of the Laurent-Perrier Bicentenary Garden. If Mark and his team are at all worried about the weather, they are doing a fabulous job of hiding it. We are all hoping for respite from the rain soon though - our waterproofs need a chance to dry out!

The French limestone wall is now complete and the pleached copper beech trees are being carefully planted correct to the millimetre positions that we planned off-site. The trees really give a fantastic scale to the garden and the rare evening sun last night cast wonderful shadows through their canopy onto the wall. The copper foliage is gently unfurling as each day we get closer to the show. The pleached trees give a fantastic counter balance to the pear tree and really draw you into the garden.

The small Buxus plants we have planted along the wall add a splash of fresh green with their new flush of foliage and are like individual characters on their crooked stems.

8 May 2012

The making of a garden: the first Laurent-Perrier film

To mark the bicentenary of one of the world's leading champagne brands, and to chart the design and build of the Laurent-Perrier Bicentenary Garden for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012, we are working with filmmaker James Aiken to bring you a flavour of the expertise, dedication and passion of Champagne Laurent-Perrier.

This is the first in a series of three films which will be released in the final weeks of the Chelsea Flower Show garden build. We hope you enjoy the rare glimpses of the beautiful Chateâu de Louvois and the cellars and production centre at Tours-sur-Marne.

A special thank you to David Hesketh MW, Managing Director of Champagne Laurent-Perrier UK, who has made the project possible, Anne-Laure Domenichini of Laurent-Perrier for her beautiful French voice-over, and of course to Alexandra and Stéphanie de Nonancourt for their hospitality and energy for the garden.

Champagne Laurent-Perrier

7 May 2012

Our Bank Holiday Pear Tree

Before most people were awake on the Bank Holiday weekend the ancient pear tree, which forms the corner-stone of my design for the Laurent-Perrier Bicentenary Garden, started its slow journey to the Royal Hospital showground, resplendent in its scaffold structure and tarpaulin cover.

The lorry made steady progress towards the Chelsea Flower Show site and arrived at about 7am on 5 May. The protective structure ensured there was no wind damage to the leaves and the pear tree arrived safely. Following its careful unload from the lorry, the special forklift, designed to handle such a heavy load, inched the tree down Main Avenue into its final planting position on the garden. The team from Crocus were brilliant - they really understood the importance of respect for such an ancient and beautiful tree.

It looks fantastic and just as we imagined.

Champagne Laurent-Perrier

Crocus

RHS Chelsea Flower Show

3 May 2012

The Chelsea build begins

The build for our Chelsea Flower Show garden for Champagne Laurent-Perrier has begun. 

The first task on site was to get rid of the standing water, although the whole site is saturated and very quickly turning to mud! Good progress has been made on the wall and the stone mason arrives today to start putting the facing stone onto the wall. 

It's exciting to be at this stage and to see all the activity on site at last.  Spirits are high despite the rain - there's a great feeling of camaraderie on site. We will regularly be posting pictures here so do follow our progress.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Champagne Laurent-Perrier

24 April 2012

Back to Peter Beales

The roses we have selected for the Laurent-Perrier Bicentenary Garden at Chelsea Flower Show 2012 are flourishing in the good hands of the team at Peter Beales Roses in Norfolk. During a trip to the nursery last Wednesday it was a hugely reassuring sight to see plenty of healthy growth on the plants.

 
Each of the 300 roses for the show had flower buds and fresh foliage.  It was truly impressive to see so many roses with such wonderful lush leaves in perfect condition.  Some of the climbers had put on almost one metre of growth since we last visited in February.  We are hoping to use the climber Rosa 'Astra Desmond' against the boundary wall, quite different to the darker leaves of some of the shrub roses.

The cool weather means that some heat may have to be introduced into the glasshouses within the next week to bring development on. The team are well practiced at ensuring that plants are in perfect shape for the start of Chelsea week. Our roses will be delivered to the show ground in just two and a half weeks' time and we need the buds ready to open and only just beginning to open by then.  We are feeling positive!

Peter Beales Roses

Champagne Laurent-Perrier

RHS Chelsea Flower Show

11 April 2012

An unseasonal blizzard in Derbyshire

Joel and I spent an enjoyable, if a little chilly, day at Haddon Hall in Derbyshire last week. We left relative balmy sunshine in London but as we reached Derbyshire we were hit with a blizzard. April weather taken to extremes!

We were visiting the Hall to plan for the next stage of planting in our design - after working with Lord Edward Manners on his private garden on the estate, we have now moved on to the public access terraced gardens around the main Hall. The photographs show the fountain terrace which was planted last year with topiary and an underplanting of a wild flower mead. The borders on the terrace are filled with tulips (just coming into flower), super poppies and roses, which of course Haddon is renowned for but which we have edited and added to to create a tighter colour palette. I am anxious to see the results in May and June.

The next area to plant will be the Bowling Green terrace, which is positioned above the Fountain Terrace. It will consist mainly of plants used for dying such as flag iris, dahlias, Alchemilla mollis and Sanguisorba. We are also hoping to replant the knot garden with a lattice of Santolina and Teucrium.

www.haddonhall.co.uk

5 April 2012

An Italian morning at Crocus

On Tuesday we went to visit the plants for the Laurent-Perrier Bicentenary Garden at Crocus and meet with Margherita Lombardi from Italian magazine Gardenia who will be covering the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in her May issue.

It was an early start, but well worth it as Clive Nichols took some fantastic photographs for the feature of the plants full of fresh growth and sparkling in the early morning sunlight. Of course you'll have to wait for Gardenia to see these - the shots here were taken by Britt, our own in-house photographer!

Many of the plants have now been moved outside but some remained in the tunnels to protect them from the impending snow! The weather is keeping everyone on their toes at the moment but all the plants seem to be doing well and Karen is confident that we will have some of all the plants we want flowering to perfection for the show - we now just have to keep our fingers crossed!

www.crocus.co.uk

www.clivenichols.com

www.laurent-perrier.fr/uk

15 March 2012

Winter at Allt-y-bela

WINTER at Allt-y-bela - my home in Monmouthshire, South Wales.

I am really excited to be able to introduce the first in a planned series of four films to be made throughout 2012. James Aiken's films are beautifully shot, using light and sound to great effect giving them instant atmosphere. I hope the series we have planned captures a little of the essence of the garden I am creating at Allt-y-bela.

I hope you enjoy them.

2 March 2012

A visit to see the trees

Last Wednesday Rachel and I had a day return trip to Holland and Belgium.  Our first stop was the tree nursery where I have selected a beautiful, ancient pear tree for the garden I have designed for Laurent-Perrier at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012.  The tree will be positioned in the corner of the garden to anchor the space to its surroundings and add balance to the large pieces of topiary and the Chelsea Hospital plane trees.

We wanted to see the pear tree again and crucially check that it will fit on a lorry that is the right width to fit through the Bull Ring gates at the Chelsea Hospital showground.  The nursery had been concerned that it would require a 3m wide lorry.  However, much to our relief, the magnificent specimen is going to require very little pruning to reach its destination in the show garden. 

With that resolved we went on to another specialist nursery across the border in Belgium.  Here we made our final selection of topiary for the garden.  Three majestic pieces of Buxus sempervirens 'Rotundifolia' have been clipped with care over the last 100 years to reach their statuesque sizes.   To go with these we choose some pieces of smaller Buxus on legs, which will be perfect along the planting bed to the side of the path.

Having achieved our aims for the day we came home excited about how they are going to look within the garden. To help with their precise positioning and to check the balance of the garden, we are having a scale model of the garden built complete with to-scale trees and plant elements.

24 February 2012

Minneapolis revisited

We are creating a wonderful garden in Minneapolis, which is taking Stefano and I to the United States on a regular basis. We spent a very exciting week there last week choosing the specimen plants we will include in the garden.

We had hoped to use Betula nigra- the river birch - but it will be too big and overpowering for the design. We had also hoped to use Acer griseum but the climate will be slightly too cold for it and we feel it is too much of a risk. Minneapolis is in hardiness zone 4.5 andAcer griseumneeds zone 5 - if the garden experienced a hard winter, this acer would not survive. We want to create a garden with longevity so it is really important we choose plants that are going to thrive.

Our trip last week turned up two trees which we think are going to be perfect for the design - a malus (crab apple) with a beautiful white flower and an alternative acer with gorgeous bright red seeds. Neither will be too big for the planting scheme but we have found some lovely mature specimens that with some careful pruning will make beautiful shapes. They will be placed amongst criss-crossing clouds of taxus with clipped domes of euonymous to link them. The rest of the planting scheme feels very contemporary using native American prairie plants within a matrix of Briza media (quaking grass).

In addition, we found an incredible native vine which we plan to train over trellis in the garden we are creating. It has the most wonderful orange berries and will be a fantastic addition to the scheme.

It was really very exciting seeing the trees at the nursery but the visit really brought it home to me how lucky we are to have nurseries in Europe selling such a diverse choice of plants, shrubs and trees. Our temperate climate allows us to grow such a huge variety of plants - we really can be spoiled for choice. In America however, the choice is limited - by climate and availability.

Luckily my planting schemes only ever rely on a small palette of plants, repeated to create striking plant combinations.  For this design we are using lots of native American prairie plants and whilst driving through the vast expanses of wild prairie meadows, frosted with winter ice crystals, we couldn't wait to return later in the season to see perennials we use in gardens in Europe flowering here in their natural habitat.

23 February 2012

A visit to Peter Beales roses

We had a very inspiring day at Peter Beales Roses back in early February, where we met with the talented plantsmen Ian Limmer who is the Manager of the nursery and Michael who is a specialist grower from a long line of nurserymen.  They are using their expert knowledge to tenderly grow our roses for Chelsea. A large part of Michael's job is to look after our roses and the roses for the Peter Beales exhibit for Chelsea.  From now on he will breath, sleep and dream Chelsea roses!  

The roses are a major part of the planting scheme for the Laurent-Perrier Bicentenary Garden.  We have full trust and confidence that Ian and Michael can produce the perfect blooms and buds for our garden.  We will, however, have to hope that the weather is kind to us during the build of the garden.  We don't want rain otherwise these perfect blooms could be in trouble!   

Whilst at the nursery we saw all our roses covered in snow, looking a long way from their full glory. However, we were able to work out how we are going to arrange the roses around the hazel domes within the garden to create the effect that we want.  Some of the roses are now being trained in a gentle fan shape to enable us to tie them into the domes.  It feels really exciting and we can now envisage how they are going to look within the garden. 

Peter Beales Roses

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012

22 February 2012

Setting out at Crocus

We recently had one of our monthly meetings at Crocus to discuss the construction of the Laurent-Perrier Bicentenary Garden for the Chelsea Flower Show 2012 and check all of the plants, which are growing on at the Crocus nursery.  We were also able to walk through our garden for the first time as it was set out on the ground at Crocus, using wooden pegs and string.  This was enormously useful to get a feel for the scale of the garden I have designed.   We were able to walk around the area and see how it all works and decide on any adjustments which might be needed.  We made some minor changes to give a more generous feeling of space. 

The path felt too narrow, particularly when I envisaged the pleached copper beech trees linign each side of the avenue, so we have widened the path slightly.  Now hopefully the balance is just right. 

It was most exciting seeing all of the plants potted up and getting a sense of what their scale and texture will be like from those promising buds.  The plants are being beautifully cared for by Karen the nursery manager at Crocus and her team.  Some are showing new growth but many are still dormant.  Rather like pots of paint with the labels hidden, full of promise and one can only imagine the wonderful colours and texture which lies below.  It fills me with huge excitement and anticipation for May.

Laurent-Perrier

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012

Crocus

19 January 2012

The Laurent-Perrier Bicentenary Garden

Since the turn of the New Year, the design studio has been energised with a renewed sense of expectation - and a certain amount of trepidation! With the Chelsea Flower Show on-site build only 16 weeks away we are ensuring we have all the materials, plants and support we need. I thought therefore that it was about time I share the design on the website - and we will be writing more regularly over the coming weeks about our preparations.

The Laurent-Perrier Bicentenary Garden is a timeless, ornamental 'gardener's garden'. All elements of the garden will be carefully handcrafted, complemented by a soft planting scheme to provide elegant structure. The design was inspired by Laurent-Perrier's 200-year heritage of time-honoured methods and reputation for creating pioneering champagnes. It showcases exacting attention to detail, combining traditional and contemporary elements through both the planting and landscaping.

The planting itself creates the structure of the garden. I have used architectural pleached copper beech trees to give height and a sense of enclosure, which will turn golden through winter months. Topiary arrangements have been formed to add character and shape to the planting and an antique pear tree provides a key focal point at the front corner. Flowing water will outline the garden adding movement and a cool elegance.

This garden is not intended to baffle visitors to the show - instead it has been designed as a 'real' garden, which will appeal to any visitor with a love of plants and a keen eye for plant combinations. It is relaxed enough to be able to gather a bunch of flowers for the house, or to entertain friends on the central terrace. I will be available throughout the week to answer questions about the plants and I hope that visitors will be inspired to try a few of the combinations in their own borders at home.

www.laurent-perrier.com

www.crocus.co.uk

www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea

17 November 2011

Autumn colours

I love the rich colours of this time of year.  The beech topiary at Allt-y-bela is looking stunning at the moment.  Following the unusually mild October, autumn colours have arrived late and suddenly, looking all the more spectacular against the green foliage of the woodland that is just turning yellow.

It was lovely to be able to enjoy the autumn glow this weekend and with my spring bulbs safely in the ground our attentions focused on chopping logs, raking leaves and making crab apple and medlar jelly and sloe gin.   We now have a log shed ready full of logs to stoke the fires inside the house throughout the winter.

I also got on with raking leaves for leaf mulch, which is one of my favourite jobs at this time of year -such a wonderful smell.  I emptied out my compost from last year onto the step-over apples in the kitchen garden and now there is plenty of space for the leaves.

Just before darkness and the frost arrived I gathered the last big armful of Dahlias from the cutting garden, which look so vibrant in the house.   Having collected those blooms I now feel like the garden can enter its winter sleep.

17 November 2011

November produce

William spent Sunday afternoon busy by the Aga cooking up batches of crab apple jelly and making sloe gin. Crab apple jelly is easy to make and absolutely worth it. It's a delicious alternative to chutney with cheese and cooked meats and I also love having a good stock to give away to friends.

At the same time as the jelly and the gin William prepared the most delicious fresh pasta dish for us and our houseguests.  This is how he did it.

William's Wild Mushroom Tagliatelle Recipe

Prepare the fresh pasta in a Kitchen Aid or Magimix by throwing in curly kale ripped off the stalk, with fresh Bantam eggs and strong flour. 

Keep adding the flour until it's ready to roll and then thread through a pasta maker until in strips of the desired size.

For the sauce simply roughly chop garlic, red chillis and wild mushrooms, toss through the pasta with extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan.

30 August 2011

Blue palms in Miami

On a recent trip to Miami I found some amazing palm trees (Bismarckia regia) for an ongoing project in Kuwait. They have the most beautiful blue leaves with ebony seeds providing an arresting contrast to the blue. I never thought I could get excited about palms but I am discovering a completely new palette and really enjoying the challenge of working in a completely different climate with such exotics. We will plant Aeonium schwarzkopf beneath the palms, the foliage of the succulent leaves picking out the dark seed pods of the trees. I have a specimen thriving in a terracotta pot on my terrace table at home.

16 August 2011

Minnesota wild prairie planting

I always love to discover where the plants I use so often in planting schemes in Britain thrive in the wild. A recent visit to Minnesota showed favourite herbaceous border plants growing wild in prairie planting there. Baptisia and Echinacea were thriving and I saw Amsonia tabernaemontana growing four feet tall! All were found at the beautiful and surprising Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, situated about 10 miles outside Minneapolis. In addition to the native prairie and wildflower gardens, a series of wetland gardens connected by streams reveals a collection of the State flower of Minnesota, the lady's slipper orchid. The garden is both beautiful and exciting and the visit provided real stimulation with plenty of ideas to use in projects I have in progress.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

9 August 2011

Stefano on Schwartz

Stefano Marinaz, Designer and Project Manager at Arne Maynard Garden Design, reflects on the Martha Schwartz city park in front of the US Courthouse buildings in downtown Minneapolis. But it's what the garden conceals which he finds most interesting.

It's so refreshing to see an inner-city space landscaped to suit both the buildings around it - in this case the Minneapolis US Courthouse - and the people who use it. Martha Schwartz's established urban space in Central Minneapolis does just that - but the most interesting thing I found about the design was the car park it hides underneath it. Trees have been planted to great effect - native Minnesotan jack pines - despite the car parking space directly beneath the area - and the grassy mounds, which form the main design element, are intended as security features for the courthouse. So the effect is both beautiful and functional.

The park itself is well documented, having been designed in the mid 1990's by Martha Schwartz as part of the new US Courthouse development. Budget restraints meant that an area originally intended as a fountain is now a display for public art, and the simplicity of the minimalist design makes for easy maintenance, again, keeping costs low. But for me the grass, kept long for a lush and natural effect, gives this space unexpected life. Log benches provide welcome rest points and people are able to walk or lie on the grass meaning the space is well used by office workers at lunchtime. The sculptures pictured here are by Tom Otterness.

Our inner-city studio in central London creates magnificent garden projects for clients across the world - if only our urban surroundings were as inspiring and refreshing as those in Central Minneapolis.

Martha Schwartz

Minneapolis US Courthouse

Tom Otterness

3 August 2011

Dan's Cretan getaway

Dan Back, Designer and Project Manager at Arne Maynard Garden Design, recently returned from a sunny holiday in Crete with a surprising tale of cliff top wild flowers. He shares some of his holiday snaps and takes us back to Greece.

I reluctantly returned from a wonderfully sunny two weeks in Crete to the Central London design studio with a surprising tale of Greek cliff top wild flowers. Yes, a holiday is supposed to give you a break from the day-job but when you love and work with plants you can never quite escape. And, to be honest, there's only so much beach bathing and sea fishing one man and his son can indulge in before heading for the hills!

So, we found ourselves taking a brisk and refreshing hill walk, setting off from our beach-side hotel and heading up and over the cliffs. The views were breath-taking but even more amazing were the wild plants I found growing there. Native Cretans must surely never tire of seeing the caper plant (Capparis orientalis) flower, particularly when they find wild alliums and giant thistles growing alongside. I also found sea-holly (Eryngium maritimum), sea-lavender and a brilliant wiry, ground-hugging plant calledLaunaea arborescenswhich creeps over cliff top rocks and among other plants giving everything a silvery sheen. Its silver blue foliage is the perfect complement to an azure blue seascape.

28 June 2011

Chelsea calling

I am really very excited to have been announced by Laurent-Perrier as their designer for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2012, the bicentenary year of the iconic champagne house. Having thought about a design for the show for several years now I am very pleased to have this opportunity to work alongside such a brand. I spent a few days at the show this May to start to choose plants for my design. I always enjoy Chelsea, particularly the time I spend wandering round the floral marquee. I never tire of it. The nursery displays are what make Chelsea so special.

Also exciting of course was seeing this year's show gardens. Cleve West's garden for the Telegraph was indeed beautiful as was Luciano's for Laurent-Perrier. My congratulations go to both of them for their gold medals.

I always find inspiration from the show and this year was no exception. I thought the planting scheme on Anne Marie Powell's garden for the British Heart Foundation was particularly lovely. Red is very hard to use in a colour scheme but its use in this garden, cooled considerably by the green palette of plants, was incredibly inspiring. I certainly hope to borrow and reinterpret ideas from this garden.

When visiting any show or nursery I can't help but spot plants I would like to introduce to my own garden. Rosa 'Natasha Richardson', introduced by Harkness Roses, is a beautiful clear pale pink scented rose and Avon Bulbs showed an amazing new crushed mulberry coloured opium poppy, Papaver somniferum 'Chartreuse', both of which I have ordered for Allt-y-bela.

www.laurent-perrier.fr/uk/

www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea

27 June 2011

Britt escapes to the country

Britt Willoughby Dyer, Office Manager and in-house photographer at Arne Maynard Garden Design, recalls a beautiful early summer day taking photographs at Woottens Plants near her childhood home of Southwold.

A few weeks ago my office was transformed from its usual EC1 studio to a wonderful early summer day in the open countryside of Suffolk - what heaven! Arne asked me to join him at Woottens of Wenhaston to photograph irises. By mid morning I found myself standing in endless acres of stunning irises listening to heavenly bird song - a lovely change from the usual noise pollution of traffic congestion on Old Street.

I arrived early enough to get cracking on taking a few photos before Arne arrived - I knew I'd be distracted by his enormous enthusiasm and excitement as soon as he got there.  Together we walked the fields, drinking in the colour and scent of every iris, making notes of each of his favourites. Pictured here are some that we both found rather beautiful and elegant.

Iris 'Black Swan', Iris 'White City', Iris 'Benton Susan', Iris 'Thornbird', Iris 'Ginger Snap' and Iris 'Spuria Medallion'.

We couldn't bear to go home empty handed and purchased some of Michael's other treasures at his nursery including scented pelargoniums - an iconic heady summer perfume.  Michael's own herbaceous garden was overflowing with warm summer colour and scent inspiring us both to get home and get planting.

Woottens Plants, Blackheath Road, Wenhaston, Halesworth, Suffolk IP19 9HD

www.woottensplants.co.uk

23 June 2011

Home for June

We have enjoyed some great summer garden courses over the past couple of weeks. I have loved sharing the emerging garden at Allt-y-bela with a really lovely combination of people who have all contributed to a fabulous two week celebration of plants. Some of our visitors like to come to at least one of my courses each year and it is through their eyes I have been able to see the garden here this month. I see it almost every day and so I don't always notice the changes - but it has developed enormously this year and so it has been encouraging to hear the great response it has received from visitors.

People make a garden come alive and no more so than when using it to learn and create. I thoroughly enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience with the people who visit us for our garden courses.

Now that our June events are over I look forward to spending a few months visiting clients and enjoying some time in my own garden over the summer.

20 June 2011

Cottage garden gems

Having spent four full years laying out and planting up the land around the house at Allt-y-Bela, I have found that this is the first year it is turning into a garden. The fruit and cottage garden looks amazing this month - some of my favourite plants have been flowering since early May.

Paeone 'Molly the Witch' opens early with my incredible black tulips Tulipa 'Black Hero' and T. 'Queen of the Night'. These have finished now and have been replaced by black Geranium phaeum and shortly the alliums will join in. Lupinus 'Masterpiece' has been exceptional this year and I have recently put in a new soft pink dahlia (Dahlia 'Naples') which I am looking forward to starting its flowering period next month.

On a recent visit to Watermeadow Nursery I bought a really lovely Super Poppy (Papaver 'Medallion') which I have added to this area. It builds its colour slowly and fades beautifully with no brown edges to spoil the effect. I would highly recommend it.

Watermeadow Nursery, Alresford Road, Cheriton, Alresford SO24 0QB

www.plantaholic.co.uk

20 June 2011

Star-cross'd lovers

We were thrilled to welcome the Willow Theatre Company to the garden at Allt-y-bela on 18 June. Over one hundred guests enjoyed al fresco dining around the garden before a thoroughly entertaining performance of William Shakespeare's famous tragedy Romeo and Juliet. The atmosphere was beautiful, not in the least bit dampened by a typical Welsh shower mid way through the first half. Umbrellas were brought out and the true British spirit prevailed bringing everyone together in a show of solidarity for the fantastic actors, who improvised brilliantly through the rain.

The second half enjoyed glorious evening sunshine and at the end of the play the appreciation of the audience abounded. We all dried off in front of a roaring fire and enjoyed a warming tipple before stumbling home to bed! It was a real treat - a magical evening which we will certainly be trying to replicate next year. My huge thanks go to the Willow Theatre Company - I am already looking forward to next time.

The Willow Theatre Company

7 June 2011

Haddon Hall revisited

I am really excited to be able to talk about our latest work at the glorious Haddon Hall estate in Derbyshire. Lord Edward Manners is meticulously and sympathetically restoring the beautiful medieval fortified manor house, which is open to the public for much of the year. Having already designed his private garden here I have been asked by Lord Edward to design the areas around the main Hall.

We have started work apace this year - made possible by the filming last year of a feature film, starring Dame Judi Dench, of Jane Austen's Jane Eyre due to be released in September. The Fountain Terrace is now planted with the herbaceous borders already settling in well. Meadow planting under the reinstated topiary in this area has been really well received by visitors and serves to reconnect this formal garden with the magnificent Derbyshire countryside surrounding the estate.

I will be writing much more about this project over the coming months and will be posting more pictures so do come back to find out more.

Haddon Hall, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1LA

www.haddonhall.co.uk

6 June 2011

Peter Beales Roses

I absolutely adore old-fashioned roses. Their heavy open blooms hang down from the plant offering both scent and colour. Seeing the field-grown roses at Peter Beales nursery in Norfolk is an incredible experience and one I would heartily recommend any plant enthusiast sees. When you see them growing together you are able to differentiate growth habits and colour variations and in my case, choose colours that work well together.

Two fabulous roses surprised me on this particular visit, ones I would not normally think to use. It is so important to see them flowering  - a photograph just doesn't show the clarity of colour you get when seeing a flower close to. Rosa 'Twice in a Blue Moon' is a smoky lilac coloured variety which will work brilliantly in a planting scheme including Monarda 'Elsie's Lavender', Veronicastrum virginicum 'Lavendelturm' and silver artemesia.

Rosa 'Sir Paul Smith' is a big blousy crushed velvet coloured rose with big heads which hang down. It will look brilliant trained over the top of a wall and I have already found a spot in the garden for it - it will grow wild in the grass up and over the wall that borders the cottage garden.

Peter Beales Roses, London Road, Attleborough, Norfolk NR17 1AY

www.classicroses.co.uk

3 June 2011

A chat with The Foodie Bugle

William and I were recently interviewed by the online food magazine The Foodie Bugle. We had a lovely morning chatting about Allt-y-bela and enjoyed a freshly picked lunch from the bursting beds in the kitchen garden here.

I am passionate about fresh, seasonal produce and have strived to create a kitchen garden which offers us year-round food for the table at Allt-y-bela. So it was a pleasure to speak to Silvana from The Foodie Bugle, who shares our passion for food and is committed to raising the profile of artisan producers and local growers.

You can read the article in full here.

1 June 2011

Watermeadow Nursery

When the poppies are in flower I love to visit this nursery.  (It holds the National Collection of orientale poppies.) This time I managed to combine the visit with a new job I needed to see which made the trip even more worthwhile. The Super Poppies, which Watermeadow grow and sell, are fantastic - they stand upright without the need for stakes and they flower for longer than their cousins.

As with so many plants I choose either for my own garden or for clients, I need to see them in flower and in season before I can settle on a colour or habit. In this case, and by happy coincidence, I found Papaver 'Medallion' - a beautiful dusky pink Super Poppy - in flower with a smoky purple wild comfrey. The contrast in flower size and the repetition of their furry leaves made for an unexpected but lovely planting combination.

I left the nursery with the familiar feeling that nature had, once again, transpired to inspire my work.

Watermeadow Nursery, Alresford Road, Cheriton, Alresford SO24 0QB

www.plantaholic.co.uk

29 November 2010

Bulbs in winter

There is nothing like the clean fresh smell of narcissi paperwhites or Roman hyacinths in the house in winter. It's full of the promise of spring and new growth. I love to fill old bowls and galvanized florists buckets with the specially prepared bulbs for forcing (I get mine from Peter Nyssen www.peternyssen.com). Even if you missed the chance to pot up the bulbs in October or early November - it's worth buying them ready potted so you don't miss out.

26 November 2010

A heavy fall of snow

6 May 2010

Cranborne Manor

Cranborne Manor in Dorset was the garden that awoke my passion for garden design.  Every week I would cycle over and wonder around the garden, helping in the nursery in exchange for a plant or two.  I learnt about old fashioned roses and absorbed the pattern making of the knot gardens and, more than anything else began to understand about creating atmosphere.  Although Lady Salisbury is no longer there and the garden has changed, it is still a fantastically atmospheric garden.  The mix of wild and clipped is a joy.  www.cranborne.co.uk