GARDENING
UP THE GARDEN PATH By Julie Haylock, Sandhurst Garden Design As summer slowly slips into autumn there are still plenty of plants to bring colour into your garden and lift your spirits. Jewel coloured plants make the border look vibrant and the light at this time of year seems to make plants shine. From pink to purple and blue to the hot colours of orange, yellow and red, there are plenty to choose from to give your border an autumnal boast. If you favour shades of pink and you like Dahlia’s, then look out for Dahlia ‘Karma Fuchsiana’ one of the cactus varieties with its quill like petals. Team it up with the magenta flowers of Salvia ‘Love and Wishes’ and the soft grass Pennistum ‘Cassian’s Choice’ with its bottlebrush like heads and it will make for a stunning display. If you prefer blues and purples, then consider Agastache ‘Black Adder’ with its lilac-blue spires of flowers. This plant is a bee-pleaser, and as soon as they discover it in your border, the plant will be smothered! Use Penstemon ‘Sour Grapes’ and the ever reliable Aster ‘Veilchenkonigin for a combination that will give you a lovely display until the first frosts. Perhaps you associate this time of year with red, orange and yellow planting combinations? A great duo is the yellow Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ and Helenium ‘Waltraut’ and when planted with Achillea ‘Cloth of Gold’ will provide a blaze of colour that radiates a warm glow. Heleniums with their velvet like petals, flower from midsummer until late autumn, their common name is Sneezeweed as the flower used to be dried to make snuff! It prefers to be in a sunny position and happy in a most soils. They look great planted with Crocosmia, Verbena Bonarienis, bronze fennel, Agastache and my ‘go to plant’ Salvia Caradonna. In fact, the first show garden we did at Taunton Flower Show we used just this combination and it looked stunning if I say so myself!
In early August Andrew and I visited Bennett’s Water Garden in Weymouth home of the National Water Lily Collection and well worth a visit if you have not been. Neatly mown paths wind around the lily-filled pools in this 8 acre garden, complete with its own Japanese Claude Monet style bridge that makes for a great photo opportunity.
Julie Haylock Garden Designer 20 Sandhurst Road, Yeovil, Somerset BA20 2LG
Tel: 07899 710168 Email: haylock2lg@btinternet.com www.sandhurstgardendesign.co.uk
The many varieties of water lilies looked stunning with dragonflies bobbing from lily pad to lily pad; the crystal clear water is home to fish and amphibians, including the rare great crested newt making it a valuable wildlife haven.
Contact Julie for garden and border design, planting plans, plant selection advice and garden styling
BBC Gardeners’ World Live Gold Medal Award Taunton Flower Show Gold Medal Award and The Western Daily Press Cup for Best Show Garden
Finally, on the garden design front, it has been another very busy month. Our latest project in Bridgwater, designed and planted by Sandhurst Garden Design and built by Silverbirch Landscapes, was completed and with very happy clients, Check out the photographs of the garden, including at night time on my website www. sandhurstgardendesign.co.uk and see the trees and planting illuminated!
Garden Landscape & Construction Services
www.sherbornegardenangels.co.uk 01935 310302
Until next time Julie
Rudbeckia flower from midsummer to late autumn and the classic ‘Goldsturm’ with its yellow petals and black conical centre grows to 60cm tall and makes for an eye-catching display. They like to be in a sunny spot or dappled shade and to keep them looking good remove faded blooms. I hope that the planting combinations I have suggested has whet your appetite and will have your rushing to your local garden centre to plant yourself a gorgeous autumn display!
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Sandhurst Garden Design
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