Winter Flowers at Bennington Lordship Gardens

I recently made my first visit to Bennington Lordship Gardens nr stevenage in order to see their famed display of snowdrops. It was one of the intermittent clear warm days we have been enjoying and the setting was magical.

The mock castle lends a real romantic air and the moat is a sea of white snowdrops

The naturalised swathes of Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) sweep across the grounds.

Galanthus sp.

Eranthis hyemalis

In another part of the garden these Crocus were attracting large numbers of bees. Nectar is few and far between at this time of year so these early bulbs are an important food source.

I thought that this bright combination of yellow and purple together was particularly cheery. It made me smile.
I can't finish this blog without mentioning that the tearoom was definitely worth a visit for the extensive selection of homemade cakes. Delicious.

Using coloured stems in gardens designed for winter interest.

Coloured stems are a great way to add interest to your garden in the winter months. A stroll around Anglesey Abbey near Cambridge is a great way to see what a strong impact they can have when used bravely, en masse. 

The two photos above feature Cornus (Dogwood) and Rubus (Ornamental Bramble) Combining the Rubus with one of the deeper red varieties really brings out the pink in the white stems.

Cornus stems can also be combined with trees that have interesting bark such as the rich coloured bark of Cherry or Acer as above.

The peeling bark of Acer griseum combines well with the orange tones of Salix alba var. vitellina 'Britzensis' seen here at Benington Lordship Gardens near Stevenage. 

Beth Chatto uses the same salix in combination with various cornus species. The salix is an ideal specimen for placing in the boggy ground next to a pond or lake where its colourful reflection can create double the impact.

winter Frost

I do love a winter frost.

Visit to France

In late May I paid a visit to the South of France, to do some work in the garden I helped to develop in the Languedoq.
They too suffered from incredibly low temperatures in February - -12C. The pipes froze and all the palms were damaged. However the Tetrapanax and the Cannas seem to have survived unscathed, which just goes to show that some plants we think of as being tender can be more robust than we expect.

Whilest there, I paid a visit to my favourite nursery, Pepiniere Filippi in Meze. They specialise in drought tolerant plants and have a fantastic range of plants, also a comprehensive on-line catalogue.
However, the most exciting thing about it is the gravel garden, tucked away at the back overlooking the Etange. It is a truely inspirational showcase for their plants ! They have created hillocks and paths on the flat site entirely covering it with a thick mulch of gravel which provides warm, sunny banks for their plants to thrive. Cupressus sempervirens provide accents throughout the site and strusture is provided by a wide range of Cistus and other evergreen shrubs.

Pepinere Filippi,  Meze

There are also displays of alternative drought tolerant ground-cover plants.  I know this now sounds ridiculous to think about after the weather we have had this year.  But most years in Suffolk my garden is usually dried to a crisp by now!
I brought back some really interesting plants to trial and will be watching them closely.
Firstly, an unusual grass called Zoysia tenuifolia . This creates hummocks of dense grass about 5-10cm high. It yellows in the winter at temperatures below -4C . It needs full sun and good drainage so I will see how it survives on my sandy soil. It has a really soft undulating habit and would be good to use in small areas around a bench perhaps as an alternative to chamomile.

Zoysia tenuifolia in August

Inspired by a combination that they are growing in the gravel garden, I also brought a mixture of Achillea crithmifolia and Centaurea bella. Both create dense mounds of evergreen silver foliage. 
So far, the Centaurea is creating nice rounded mounds whereas the Achillea is already spreading quite quickly and looks like something that would cover bare soil rapidly. My resident rabbit hasn't eaten them yet either!

Achillea and Centaurea  planting in May

They are both supposed to be fairly hardy so I will be watching them closely this winter. If they survive I will definitely be using them in my new gravel garden planned for this Autumn. Anne

 

The Landscape Show 2012

Today both Anne and I attended the Landscape show at London Olympia, billed as 'The UK's premier trade event for interior and exterior landscaping.'

The first product to catch our eye was a range of linear drainage channel covers, gulley covers and  manhole covers by Aqua innovations. This may sound like an unpromising start to the blog but this company have transformed the drainage cover into a work of art. There was a large range of beautiful designs on offer in either a brushed steel finish or in cast iron which oxidises to a rich rust colour. We think that this company will go far.





Staying in the metal theme we spotted some gorgeous zink leaf balls by 'A Place in the Garden'. They consist of a spherical steel frame covered in hundreds of individually cut leaves, layered and hand welded into place. They come in four sizes and either of the larger two, standing alone, would make a significant impact in the garden. The images on their website do not do justice to them as the finish only improves with age.

There were a number of recycled plastic products represented at the show which is a promising sign. Decking, pots and furniture have all undergone the transformation and the look of these items is improving all the time. We preferred the ones which were not pretending to be wood or other material but making the most of their own properties.
Decking is an area where recycled plastic could make a big impact. The slip proof properties of these products give them a real advantage over wood particularly in public projects and once installed there is no maintenance to undertake other than an occasional jetwash. We liked the grey decking by UPM.

Decking can also now be made from recycled rubber and the rain garden at the wetlands centre in Barnes contains a good example.

Where the product is actually sitting in the water the advantages are obvious.

This particular product is very similar in look to real wood and had me fooled.

Finally we were pleased to see that Jacksons have bought out a new range of good quality, affordable contemporary fence panels incorporating horizontal trellis and also a more traditional woven panel. A great choice for those who want the designer look on a lower budget.

posted by Jo

Stunningly Beautiful Building

I spent an inspiring evening last week at the Archetects' Journal's Small Projects Awards Ceremony with my nephew Bryn Hallett.

He has just completed his Part 2 Diploma at CAT and along with 2 colleagues, Catherine Watton and Tom Barnes had been short-listed for their beautiful timber bird hide.

Built on site over 5 days.

  

  The bird hide with its large overhangs interacts with the light during the day, sunlight filtering through in shards creating a pleasant dappled light within. Bryn told me ' The skin is the structure and the structure is the skin, the walls, roof and seating are integrated into one structure '.        

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What a wonderful place to spend an evening

For the project, the bird hide was built using local organically grown untreated timber which was cut in a local saw mill. It has been designed to achieve minimal waste by using the offcuts to form spacers between the timber.
 They are now planning to use this template to create unusual, sculptural garden rooms or play houses in a variety of woods. Contact Bryn at brynhallett@gmail.com for more info.

An inspiring structure for education purposes.  

Posted by Anne

Winter Interest at Dartington Hall

During the half term break I made a sneaky visit home to Devon for some much needed fresh air and countryside. I always love visiting the gardens at Dartington Hall for their understated style and elegance. The planting is at its best, for me, during the freshness of spring when swathes of bulbs are combined with magnificent magnolias, camellias and cherry blossom. There is always something beautiful to admire here however and February is no exception.

Fresh white and green, Snowdrops cover the grassy banks

Snowdrops are always a welcome sight and look great amongst these Epimeduim leaves.

In a quiet corner a mass planting of Hamamelis sp. overwhelms you with its citrus scent. Later as the new leaves of the witch hazel begin to open this area is carpeted with a mass of Anemone blanda and other spring bulbs.

For real impact at a particular time of year mass together a single species of plant.

The formal yew hedge acts as a foil to the yellow spidery flowers.

I couldn't resist adding this friendly fellow.

Another plant which appears here en masse at this time of year is the Helleborus x hybridus. Don't forget to trim off last year's leaves to view the flowers at their best.

The pink shade of this one went rather nicely with the fresh green of the leaves

 Since my last visit this beautiful decked viewing platform / walkway has been built. The craftsmanship is superb as with everything here. I love the chunky granite supports echoed by the granite setts which line the inner edge of the deck.

I love a garden where craftmanship is appreciated and supported 

Posted by Jo