Latest...

 

May has brought a series of beautiful days, pouring rain, a Chelsea Flower Show somewhat affected by the financial climate and the prospect of my own garden opening to the public!

Chelsea was still a stunning day out and a day that my Mum and I look forward to on an annual basis! However, I felt that it missed some of the drama and excitement sometimes brought to Main Avenue by the likes of Cleve West, Christopher Bradley-Hole and Tom Stuart-Smith. I’m all for new designers being given the opportunity to create masterpieces on this hallowed ground (perhaps I’ll even get a chance one day!), however, I felt that some of the ideas, the new ways of using materials and the thoughtful and clever creations were missing. The plants were amazing as ever and there were definitely some touches of genius in some of the gardens – particularly in the masterful combination of flowers in Luciano’s garden, the colour mix in Tom Hoblyn’s highly original and stunning creation and in the ‘Nature Ascending’ garden put together by Jane Brockbank and Angus Thompson. Still a great day out in every way!

Somehow we have been talked into opening our own garden as part of the village Open Gardens Day this year. It is being billed as a ‘modern take on the traditional cottage garden’. ‘Modern’ – I think - in the sense that we’ve used slightly non-traditional plant combinations and a very strong layout which is softened by the billowing, lush planting. Apart from some preening, last minute mulching and removing any creeping buttercup that has evaded the weeding regime so far, we’re nearly there and are now just praying for fine weather!

Work is due to begin on the building of our Lymington garden very soon. This is exciting and I am really looking forward to seeing this garden come together. We’re tackling two existing ponds in this garden and giving the whole scheme a serious face-lift. Photographs will be available of the newly finished garden as soon as possible.

I’m currently talking to many of the clients for whom we built gardens last year. It is so rewarding to hear that the planting is beginning to come together and look like the drawings that sold the schemes to them in the first instance! The leap of faith they took when they went ahead and commissioned the build and planting based on visuals and written descriptions is finally paying off and the dividends are being realised!