Planting Design 4 - Hemingford Abbots
Design Rationale
Hemingford Abbots
The client has a fairly mature garden but wanted to update the border with a fresh, more unified look. They wanted to use some of their existing plants, Ferns & Hostas but lose the mass of Geraniums and Pulmonaria that had taken over. The design is for an East Facing Border, partial shade, full sun & full shade at times. Soil pH about 6.5 - 7.0, Sandy Loam.
Much of the planting was at the same height and many things had been shifted around and plonked into the border as they didn't know where else to put them. There is a mature Magnolia x Soulangeana and standard Ilex aquifolium within the border.
The design incorporates using plants with creamy white flowers to give light to the border during the moments of shade. Whilst keeping the ferns and hostas I've added some Spring/Summer flowering shrubs to the back border, Osmanthus x burkwoodii & Philadelphus 'Belle Etoile'. Hydrangea quercifolia for both flowers in Spring and impressive autumnal leaf colour. I've chosen either an Amelanchier lamarckii multistem or Betula utilis 'Snow Queen' (dwarf version) to go in the middle of the border adding height and stem structure during the Winter months. There is also room for an Eriobtrya japonica at the end of the border. This would be viewed from the clients orangery and has large glossy leaves all year round. It’s a great choice if you have slightly acidic soil.
The choice of perennials give good flowering from early spring with the Epimedium's & Helleborus, right through to Autumn with the Liriope muscari and of course some interesting leaf colours and textures from the Hakonechloa macra and various ferns.
There's a number of evergreen's too; the dark glossy leaf of the Asarum europaeum, Epimedium, Liriope & Asplenium scolopendrium will give good ground cover in the border at all times of the year.
