There is something truly magical about the thought that the plant for this week’s column was around when the dinosaurs were. In fact, the oldest fern fossil records of ferns date back to around 360 million years ago making the fern plant even older than the dinosaurs. It is no wonder so that ferns have an ancient and mythical feel to them. Unfurling slowly like a pre-historic snail, these plants are a wonderful addition to the shade garden and many varieties are actually native to our country. The common name fern is derived from the Anglo-saxon ‘fearn’ which means feather and it is easy to see why when you study the shape of the lovely, graceful feathered fronds.

Walking in our native woodlands at this time of the year one may notice the limited palette of colour and foliage. Nature is just re-awakening and most trees are still bare having cast their autumns leaves to cover the ground in a fertile brown mulch. Luckily, ferns love this brown, leafy mulch and thrive in the shady conditions of our native woodland with many varieties staying green throughout the colder months.

One such wonder is the evergreen Polystichum aculeatum-the hard shield fern which is native to Ireland and the UK. This beautiful fern has stiff arching fonds which have brown scales on the underside. They are very frequent in the North West and North of Ireland and are happiest in wooded valleys, shaded stream-sides and steep, acid rich soils. Anyone that enjoys walks out in nature will will certainly recognise these as growing in many natural wooded locations where the rich lime green of the leaves create areas of texture and light. The soft shield fern -Polystichum setiferum -on the other hand, has beautiful lacy fronds  which only emerge in Spring, right after bulbs die down, making them a wonderful companion plant for Spring bulbs in a shaded spot.

Another great example of a native beauty is the more slender Polypodium vulgare– the common Polypody. You may have seen this tough little fern growing out of tiny crevices in rocks and even on trees as an epiphyte, and it spreads easily to cover ground making it a handy plant to create interest on well-drained and gritty banks. Unlike the hard shield fern this plant prefers gritty, sandy soils and rarely tolerates lime soil.

Planting ferns in your garden can create a very successful backbone to your planting schemes. Planted en-masse they can create an incredibly beautiful structural area of texture, giving great movement in a breeze. Interspersed with other shade loving woodland plants they can form a very interesting tapestry of colour and green, giving flowering shade plants like bluebells and Epimedium great contrast. They will grow best in a lightly shaded spot but can do well in sunny spots too as long as they are well watered. They are also a lovely plant to use for underplanting of small shrubs and roses where they give much needed structure in the dormant months.

From a design point of view ferns are a valuable plant to create a feel of tropics here in Ireland and specimens such as the Tree fern- Disckonia antartica – can be planted to create your very own ancient jungle.

Fun Fact

An interesting fact is when used in flower arrangements ferns have been said to have protective properties. In some countries hanging the ferns in the house is said to bring health, luck and protection.

3 great ferns from the garden centre: 

There are many ferns readily available to buy from garden centres which do very well in our gardens. Here are some structural beauties:

1.Asplenium scolopendrium – Harts Tongue Fern

The leathery green arching fronds of this fern make it a wonderful addition to a shady corner, bringing light and texture to a shady spot. It is also evergreen so will ensure that the garden has some rich green throughout the Winter months. It likes humus rich but well-drained soil.

2. Polystichum polyplepharum- The Japanese tassel fern

Another wonderful evergreen species, this time a Japanese variety whose fronds emerge in light, lime green and mature to darker green as they grow. The bonus in these ferns is that they have yellow bristles which are notable on emerging croziers (the young curled fronds). This fern likes moist but well-drained soil.

3. Dryopteris erythrosora ‘Brilliance’-Autumn fern

Here is a more unusually coloured variety. This fern unfurls in Spring to reveal pink croziers that unfurl to copper as they emerge fully. Maturing over time the fully opened fronds become deep green. This pant likes moist, rich and well-drained, acidic soils and is happiest in full to partial shade.

A primeval Jungle on our doorstep- Discover the tropics in Kells Bay

When it comes to seeing ferns in spectacular settings there is no place more special than Kells Bay on the ring of Kerry. Known locally as the ‘Jewel on the Ring,’ the Kells Bay Gardens are a magical example of drama and a true plant haven. Set amid 17 hectares which boast stunning views of Dingle bay, these gardens contain a large collection of rare sub-tropical plants. One of the highlights of these gardens is the The Primeval Forest, the undoubted centrepiece of Kells Bay Gardens, which has an extensive collection of tree ferns.  Thanks to a late Victorian trend in naturalistic design these gardens are very naturalistic in character and Kells bay gardens are a wonderful example of how native and exotic species can work together harmoniously on this most Southern tip of Ireland.

Reminiscent of new Zealand or Costa Rican jungles, the garden has ideal conditions for ferns such as the tree fern -the Dicksonia antartica- which absolutely thrive in the ideal mild and moist conditions of these gardens. There are over 600 specimens of these tree ferns in this garden and all are over a century old. In fact, many of the ferns in the garden were planted in the mid-19th century after being brought over from Australia and they have now adapted to and colonised their new home so completely that Antipodean visitors feel perfectly at home. Other ferns which are worth noting in these gardens are Dicksonia fibrosa, Blechnum discolor, Blechnum fluviatile, Blechnum nudum, Blechnum tabulare, Polystichum vestitum, the epiphytic fern Microsorum diversifolium, Lophosoria quadripiannata amongst others. However the most impressive of the ferns in the Primeval Forest has to be the stand of Blechnum magellanicum a wonderful Chilean species which has juvenile red fronds when they emerge in Spring.

Kells Bay Gardens are open daily to the public.

Opening times are daylight hours from 09:00 to 19:00 daily all year round, in summer months the gardens are open until 21:00 

November / December opening times, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm

For more visit: www.kellsgardens.ie

Happy Valentine’s day!  Every year around this time I love to get inspired to create a romantic combination of flowers. This early in the year there are not many plants from our own gardens that can be used for flower arranging. Foliage is a popular go to for vases and trees such as Eucalyptus are beautiful even in their own right.  Beautiful structural dried thistles and seed heads can also be very pretty when displayed en masse in a vase. Nothing beats arrangements of colour in the home and for more vibrant choices I often find myself wandering around the florist at this time of the year. One of my favourite things to do is spend time choosing and combining the flowers myself. As a garden designer, planting schemes in gardens often take years to mature and become the fully grown combination one envisages, so combining flowers in a florist is such a satisfyingly immediate result.

Many plants that we find at the florist are plants that will actually do well in our climate but are often simply not available at this time of the year. This year I have decided to grow more flowers which I can use for flower arranging in my own garden and we can take some inspiration from the florist for our own spaces. This beautiful frothy Valentine inspired arrangement is both modern and natural yet with all the glamour of a proper Valentines day bouquet. It hints at dry climates, scented hot holiday air and brings the scent of Spring to the home.

The flowers I have chosen can be combined to create a really lush display which is beautiful as a gift. Here the Waxflower becomes the backbone of the scheme-creating a strong structural back layer with soft pink flowers at the crown. Waxflowers -or Chamelaucium- are beautiful woody, shrubs belonging to the Myrtle family which are endemic to Australia. These striking evergreen plants which are generally about a metre in height, have tiny wax flowers, making even the foliage itself beautifully structural in an arrangement. The flowers are subtle five-petalled and plentiful on the one branch, almost cloud like in arrangement.  Many of the Chamelaucium varieties thrive in hot and dry conditions in the garden so can be tender here in our gardens. I do have one in a pot in my own garden that I simply bring into an unheated glasshouse in the Winter and it has done really well. More to love about this plant is that it is deliciously scented, almost like eucalyptus in scent, and even carries little woody berries after it finished flowering.

Next in the floral scheme comes the Broom, this pretty pink ‘Moyclare’ variety feathers out beautifully to create a delicate backdrop. Many of us are familiar with the common Broom, the European Cytisus scopiarus. This pretty feathery plant is reminiscent of Gorse from a distance and the vivid yellow pea-like flowers have distinct similarities. The ‘Moyclare Pink’ variety of broom is one that is often used in floristry and is also very happy in our gardens here in Ireland. In fact it is a wonderful plant for exposed coastal locations where it stands up to salty air and windy conditions and also brings some welcome colour in Spring.

To finish to off I added the deliciously scented Freesias, also in soft pink, which give dots of stronger blooms and provide a heady citrus punch of perfume to the scheme. I like to plant these outdoors in April for late summer flowering and there are endless varieties of colour in this flower which is native to South Africa. These beauties are also frost tender so the prepared corms are heat treated to give them a growth start and emulate the hot, dry climate of South Africa. Taking that they are not frost hardy, you will most likely only get one year out of this plant but the scent is most definitely worth it!

Whether keeping all these together in one bouquet as an arrangement or separating them into numerous little glass jars and bottles-the result is very striking. One option is to use a collection of randomly sourced old bottles with plenty of different heights and sizes to make a strong impact. Here I used a collection of lovely Kilner jars and bottles which are available in many shapes and sizes, perfect for showing off your romantic collection of blooms.

Special Blooms 

If you’re looking for something really unique this Valentines day I would highly recommend visiting Gingko florists in Ballsbridge. This beautiful little shop has such a great and creative approach and I am always delighted to see the ever changing, inspiring window displays when I pass. Here Bronagh Harte of Gingko florists in Ballsbridge shares her favourite flowers for Valentines day:

Clematis 

Despite being delicate Clematis creates a big impact in arrangements. When our suppliers have it, it’s one of our go-to flowers at Ginkgo. Clematis belongs to the buttercup family and a simple vase, in purple and pinky tones, is sure to brighten your day.

Syringa vulgaris

Lilac is a bit of prima donna but worth the effort! It can be tricky to work with – it doesn’t always get along with others in bouquets. It comes in tones of purple, pink and white. If the woody stems are conditioned correctly it can last a week or more. The scent is intoxicating, transporting you back to balmy summer evenings in the country…

Agapanthus

Agapanthus is one of my favourites. It is an elegant clean-stemmed flower with a spiky pompom head in electric blue. It adds texture to bouquets and matched with rich reds and hot pinks, it’s especially romantic.

Gingko florists is located on 48 Upper Baggot Street, Dublin 4

For more call (01)6632801  or visit www.ginkgoflorists.ie

Romance and Black humour –A hilarious Valentine’s read

There are so many romantic novels out there that warm the hearts at this time of the year. My personal favourites are those that serve their romance with a good dollop of dark humour. The debut novel by Irish writer Kate Winter does this beautifully and the novel starts with an intriguing mystery: When Rosie Potter wakes one morning with no recollection of the night before and an absolutely trashed bedroom she puts the mess, and her strange emotional state down to one hell of a crazy night. In actual fact, this is not the worlds worst hangover but she is simply dead. This crazy realisation starts Rosie on her hilarious search to regain her memory, the reason for her demise and figuring out why her boyfriend is not in mourning-all the while wearing her ugliest flannel PJs. It is a genuinely heartfelt and haunting tale with a strong central character and a rural Irish countryside setting that is movie worthy. My favourite part -it is laugh out loud funny and romantic at the same time.

The Happy Ever Afterlife of Rosie Potter (RIP) kindle edition is available as a Valentines special on Amazon for only 87p- What a romantic treat!

“PANTONE 15-0343 Greenery has been named the colour of the year 2017″

In modern times there are many different associations with green in our everyday lives. From environmental links to being ‘green’ or youthful and inexperienced to links with money or even to the safety to proceed in traffic. In emotions we have everything from calm to the feeling of jealousy and more. 

“There are actual physical effects on your body when you surround yourself with green”

 

 

Here is a delicious recipe by Claire Davey of America Village Apothecary

When it comes to garden design there are so many different styles of planting. From romantic cottage gardens, minimalist approaches or self-sustainable havens, we create gardens to suit our lifestyles and our tastes. One style that I find particularly fascinating is the tropical style of garden. Admittedly, tropical is not the first style of garden you would think of when designing gardens in Ireland but with clever planning and careful choice in planting we can create some very lush schemes in the Irish garden. Particularly in walled urban spaces, this style can be a very effective and striking planting solution.

The first thing I would recommend considering is leaf structure and growing habit. Tropical plants often have very large leaves which are thick and shiny in appearance. Some of my favourites for this style of garden include the evergreen Fatsia japonica with its shiny, palmate leaves and the Dicksonia antarctica-the tree fern for their elegant expanses of feathered fronds. On the lower levels in the garden plants such as Hostas with their heart shaped foliage come into their own as well as ferns such as the Asplenium or Polypodium which can be valuable in giving the feel of the tropics to a garden. Phormium which is also known as New Zealand flax can give striking upright accents and shrubs such as Melianthus -the honey bush-can give feathery texture to the lower beds.

Colour in the tropical style garden can be cleverly included by choosing striking and unapologetically coloured blooms. I love the Canna lily but unfortunately these are not completely hardy and would need to be lifted as the weather grows colder. Hibiscus plants or the Passiflora caerulea-the blue passion flower climber are also beautiful but are also best in very sheltered spots. Hardier options would include punchy shades of Dahlias such as the stunning pink ‘American Dawn’ as well as the amazing Gloriosa superba or glory flower with its spidery, lily-like flowers. One absolute stunner of a plant is the large and hardy Hedychium gardenarium, or Kahili ginger which can grow up to 1.5metres and has unusual glamorous, yellow flowers which are also heavily scented.

Not many plants however sum up the feel of a tropical garden style in our climate as well as the wonderful Alstroemeria. The Astroemeria or Lily of the Incas is native to South America and has two centres of origin-one comes from central Chile and one from Eastern Brazil. Interestingly each has developed different characteristics depending on its origins. For example the Alstroemeria native to Chile are Winter growing plants and the ones that come from Brazil are Summer growing. Many of the stunning Lily of the Incas we know today are actually a hybrid between the two species, creating a fantastic plant that flowers almost the whole year round, making it very useful for floristry. The blooms of the plant are beautiful, exotic looking shapes reminiscent of lilies or orchids. Each stem often has many blooms and the abundance of flowers is one attribute which makes this plant very special indeed.

The colours too are wonderful, rich often warm combinations and many flowers have a variety of different colours in a single blossom. Take for example the ‘Saturne’ variety here: the one flower has both a delicate orange colour, accented with strong sunset reds as well as centres of golden yellow. Added to this beautiful mix of colour are the sprays of magenta-black which explode out from the centre of the bloom, once again reminding us of some exotic orchid varieties.

Caring for the Alstroemeria

These flowers like well drained soil and full sun to partial shade. When first planted these flowers benefit from having a generous mulch covering the roots. This is particularly important when the first frost comes to protect the roots. Every Autumn the mulch should be renewed and in Spring add some well rotten manure to encourage growth. These flowers may also benefit from some staking to avoid them from collapsing in the wind and the rain.

My top 3 varieties of the Lily of the Incas

Alstroemeria ‘Flirt’ 

this variety has a beautiful delicate pink colour with an apricot blush as well as a strong yellow spray coming form the centre of the flower. The flowers are born in June and July and the plant grows to about 90cm in height. This variety is a great addition to a romantic style border with rambling roses, spires of catmint and purple salvia varieties.

Alstroemeria ‘Venus’

This variety, which also grows to about 90cm in height, is a very delicate looking one and has papery white petals with a pink blush. It has some pastel yellow accents and maroon sprays that come out from the centre. Like all Alstroemerias this variety makes wonderful cut flower and lends itself very well to soft pastel arrangements. It’s delicate light shade makes it a favourite choice for wedding bouquets and the flowers last for a long time when picked.

Alstroemeria ‘Aurea’

This variety is one of the hardiest of the Alstroemeria species and has beautiful yellow and orange blooms in June and July. The colour is a great choice for a garden that aims to have a tropical feel with both the flower and the foliage looking impressive. This is also great for bouquets. One tip when handling these flowers is to always wear gloves as the sap in the plant can cause allergic reactions in some people.

Top tip: 

To encourage growth and plenty more blooms the flowers of the Alstroemeria should be pulled instead of cut from the plant. This will ensure plenty more flowers which can last all the way into October.

Coastal connections

When a South American beauty thrived on the Wild Atlantic Way.

This Summer I was asked to re-design the outdoor space for a lovely restaurant on the ‘Wild Atlantic Way’. The Draft House Gastropub is a cool bar and restaurant that is set on the coast in Strandhill, County Sligo and is a wonderfully designed space. Needless to say, designing coastal gardens is never an easy task particularly on the Atlantic coast where the air is laden with salt and the winds are extreme. The plants chosen for the outdoor garden space needed to be both beautiful and extremely hardy. They did however have the benefit of having some glass screens to shelter them from the elements making my choices slightly easier. I decided to go for a mix of evergreen Rosemary, both creeping and upright and combine that with some seasonal colour. Blue Hydrangeas cut into balls work very well with the blue flowering rosemary blossoms. Scatterings of orange achillea worked wonderfully in Autumn with the rusty signs on the exterior. The one plant that I decided to add for a special occasion was the Alstroemeria ‘Saturne’ and admittedly it was a bit of a risk given the location of the gastropub. Fascinatingly the flowers have kept coming and even now the flowers are still in bloom, adding a little bit of an orange glow to the outdoor space. If you find yourself in Strandhill this place is well worth a visit both for the delicious food as well as the great design, inside and out. For more visit www.thedrafthouse.ie

Types of shade in overview: 

So what can I plant in my shady spot?

Well, there are actually quite a few plants that will thrive in shade. In deep shade Ivy is a handy evergreen ground cover but admittedly not the most visually appealing one in most cases. Hellebores are one plant that give interest to a shady spot and are a wonderful plant for the Winter garden too developing large clusters of flowers in late Winter or early Spring. My specimens in the garden have actually bloomed from last December to late September this year and are now popping up again in November…that’s almost a full year of flowering!

 

These are not many flowers as versatile as the Geranium. With their masses of colourful flowers and deep green structured foliage these plants don’t just look good they are also robust and hardy plants that are mostly untouched by slugs and other pests. Due to the fact that there are so many different varieties of Geranium it is good to know that there is a variety for every situation-whether you have a damp garden or a dry border, there are plenty of varieties choose from. Colour options are also plentiful, from large deep sapphire blue saucers, floriferous dwarf varieties with magenta pink blossoms to almost black varieties with endless flowers on tall stems, Geraniums truly spoil us for choice when it comes to colour combinations.

Many of us associate the name Geranium with the strong citrus perfume of an half-hardy plant of the same name. When I was young we also grew these scented flowers indoors throughout the whole year and they make great indoor plants. This Geranium may carry the same common name but is in fact called Pelargonium or ‘Storksbill’ and is not the hardy garden plant I will focus on here.

The hardy Geraniums are mostly winter hardy annual, biennial and perennial herbaceous plants whose name comes from the Greek  γέρανος (géranos) meaning Crane. In English we call the flowers Cranesbill due to the long fruit capsule on some varieties which resemble a bill of a crane.

When considering growing some Geraniums in your garden there are really very few downsides. They make wonderful ground cover, allowing for virtually nothing to grow underneath and thus keeping weeds under control very well. Indeed, the Geranium is often used in covering larger areas of soil particularly at the front of borders, where gardeners don’t want to plant anything too showy but yet avoid any unsightly gaps as the mounds of Geraniums fill out empty space beautifully.

Another benefit of the plant is the foliage. Early in the season the striking green foliage of most of the Geranium varieties are a great visual support to other early bloomers making for a very lush, green border. The Geranium is also a very useful plant to bring coherence to a border from season to season. The fact that they bloom for such long stretches allows seasons to change and the Geranium flowers to remain, creating a strong base with a feel of continuation.

Below are three of my all time favourite Geraniums for the garden.

Geranium Roxanne

Here is a Geranium that does as well in the shade as it does in full sun. Definitely one of my all time favourites, this plant is absolutely covered in blue flowers from May to September and in my garden it actually flowered until the first frost last year! The flowers are a beautiful lilac hue of blue and have gorgeous while centres allowing the star shaped stamens to really stand out. I love planting these at the base of Roses where they cover the ground and disguise the unsightly leggy base of the Rose. It looks amazing with a rich purple red of the Rosa Falstaff or even the more romantically pink Rosa ‘Reine Victoria’.

Geranium psilostemon

The Armenian Cranesbill is a lovely pink variety that forms clumps of lobed leaves. The flowers are a string shade of Magenta pink with stunning black centres and black lines leading out into the petals like a series of veins. This variety will grow almost anywhere but don’t like waterlogged soil. They are not fussy about orientation so will do well in sun and shade.  An added visual interest is that the leaves blush to a deep red tint in Autumn.

Geranium phaeum ‘Samobor’

I love this elegant Geranium. It is a lovely plant for damp or dry shade and has an unusual shape and colour. Growing in an erect habit with long stems and compact foliage this flowers a little earlier than the above Geraniums making it a very useful plant for the late Spring and early Summer. I used this one in my 2012 Showgarden at Bloom in the Park where the lovely leaves formed a nice contrast to the meadow like feel of the grasses and perennials and it also featured in my garden in 2013 Showgarden where it picked up nicely on the tall black Iris and grasses.

EXPLORE 

June Blake’s Garden, Wicklow

June Blake’s contemporary country garden in Tinode, west Wicklow and is well known for its sweeping naturalistic-prairie style planting which spans over three acres. The garden is particularly fabulous at this time of the year when many of the naturalistic schemes are truly at their most stunning. I love the rectangular water feature surrounded by cobble and the perennial borders are truly breathtaking.  Open Wed – Sunday April – September  11.00am – 5.30pm              For more go to: www.juneblake.ie

Leonie Love’s

Blackberry and Rose Pelargonium Jam

There is nothing better than jam made from foraged fruit. At this time of the  year our hedgerows are starting to explode with delicious Blackberries. What better way to spice it up  and adding a vintage taste than adding some scented Pelargonium leaves? Some of the indoor varieties can be used in cooking which makes for a very different taste. For my Jam recipe I have decided to use Agar-Agar instead of gelatine, which is  made from freeze dried sea-vegetables and a great alternative for vegetarians. It can be tricky to use but if you make sure that the flakes dissolve totally then its a great natural product. I have also used only a small amount of sugar which I prefer as I think too much sweetness takes away from the taste of the berries. If you like yours sweeter just add about 300g more.

Ingredients

• 1kg Blackberries
• 4 leaves of scented edible Rose Pelargonium
• juice of 1 lemon
• 500 grams granulated sugar
• 4 grams of Agar-Agar (health food store)
• water
• 1 Madagasgar Vanilla Pod

Recipe

1. After picking the blackberries wash them thoroughly to make sure they have no insects or dirt on them.
2. In a sterilised pot add your blackberries, the pelargonium leaves and sugar as well as the Vanilla pod which I like to slice in half and add whole while cooking.
3. Add the juice of your lemon and 2 cups of water.
4. Simmer on a low heat for about 15 minutes.
5. Remove the mix from the heat and for a smoother Jelly like Jam you can blend this in a mixer but I love a bit of texture in a Blackberry Jam. It feels so much more like eating them off the bush!
6. Remove the Vanilla pod and the pelargonium leaves.
7. Now it’s time to spinkle the Agar Agar flakes/powder over the jam mix and you can put the pot back on the boil and stir the mix until the flakes are all dissolved. You’ll notice a jelly like consistency start to happen.
8. Remove from the heat and stir a little more, maybe 2 minutes or so, as the mixture cools down.
9. Fill your sterilized Jam Jars to the top making sure you don’t burn yourself as it can be very hot.
10. Cover each jar with a disk of wax paper and seal with the lids and turn them upside down to cool.

Note. These jams should keep for about 2 months of you store them in your cupboard. They will however last longer if you have space in your fridge.

Happy cooking!

This Poppy is a truly spectacular plant, Its Latin name meaning ‘The sleep bringing Poppy’ and this can be lead back to the fact that the poppy is used in making many drugs including Morphine, Codeine, Heroin and of course, its namesake Opium.

It is not only used in the illegal and legal drug trade but is also a highly decorative addition to many ornamental gardens throughout the country. Poppies are annual herbs which grow to about 120cm in height and varieties of these are plenty. The beautiful ‘Burma White’ is one of my favourites and it has beautiful light pink, papery petals which float delicately on top of a strong stem of soft green. The leaves and stem of this flower are covered in fine hairs making this plant an interesting one to look at.

My favourite part of the flower is the seedhead which remains at the end of the flowering season. To me this is the most visually striking addition to the late Autumn/Winter garden and I think every garden should have at least a few scattered in somewhere.

One of the first poppies I planted in my own garden, I actually brought back as seed from France and sowed them directly into the soil in late April. The variety I brought back was given to me by an elderly lady neighbour while I was on holidays in the lovely town of Saintes. The wonderfully French Madame Bommensaat had a beautifully chabby-chic and wild garden beside us. Full of rusted old Ironwork, gnarled and odd-shaped apple trees and explosions of self seeded Hollyhock, scented herbs and of course Poppies. It was towards the end of the Summer and as I admired the structured drying heads and pom-pom, powder puff ‘Pink Beauty’, she broke off a couple of the seedheads and gave them to me in an envelope. When I got home and I opened the envelope the brownish seedheads had opened up fully and the black seeds were spilling out.

I decided to randomly scatter the poppy seeds in drifts in my own border and being so prolific in seed they tend to self-seed themselves easily, often popping up in unplanned places as a welcome surprise.

Tip when planting poppies: You can also sow these on a window cill earlier in the year and the plant will already flower in its first year making it a very rewarding plant to grow. Also,  due to the ease of self-seeding, you may have to thin out the seedlings as they grow to give each space to root strongly.

The best Companions

I love planting poppies with a mix of textures and shapes. In the image above the Flower arranger Annette Coleman has created a scheme that is perfectly balanced.  The Poppy has been beautifully framed by swathes of white Foxgloves, Verbena hastata ‘Blue Spires’ and is given a great vertical structural contrast with the peeling bark of the Birch trees. Another fabulous combination of you want to include some scent is the Philadelphus ‘Belle Etoile’, a compact shrub which is highly fragrant and smells like a mixture between Jasmine and bubble gum.

Billie’s poison

How Lady Day became the inspiration for a stunning concept garden at Chaumont sur Loire

There are many garden design festivals all over the world worth exploring. Not many though have a location as stunning as the Festival of in Chaumont-sur-Loire in the Loire valley in France. Set on the grounds of the Chaumont-sur-Loire castle, once the home of Catherine de Medici, Diane de Poitiers and Princess de Broglie, this collection of experimental show gardens take a slightly different in approach to our own Bloom in the Park festival or the Chelsea Flower show. Here, international teams of artists, designers, architects and landscape designers get to go a little wild and design gardens that are highly conceptual. Based on a different theme each year-the ‘Seven deadly sins’ for example or this years theme, ‘Gardens for the coming Century’, the festival aims to explore and experiment and is one of my all time favourite destinations to get inspired. For more on the festival go to: www.domaine-chaumont.fr

Lady Day’s poppies

This show garden at Chaumont entitled ‘Un hommage à Lady Day’ was designed by the Dutch company called Strootman Landscape Architecture in 2010 and was one of my favourites. It was a wonderful conceptual tribute the the great, late jazz singer Billie Holiday. Black timber provided a strong backdrop for the soft feathery planting which included myosotis, mallow, cosmos, echinacea, anemone as well as the opium poppy, a reference to the singer’s drug habit. The garden also featured surround sound recordings of her work, making this a truly magical space to be in.

For more information visit Strootmann Landschapstarchitecten on Strootman Landscape Architects

Leonie Loves 

A naturally poured philosophy

I am a big fan of candles and tend to have them all over my house. One thing that I have always looked out for is that the wax in the candles is of high quality-there is nothing worse than the smell of paraffin based candles. Thankfully more and more people are becoming aware of how bad they are for our health and there is a real resurgence in the use of natural beeswax as well as Soy based candle products.  One of my absolute favourites is the Kildare based company ‘Candella’. Hand-poured into recycled wine bottles, these pretty and deliciously scented candles have divine names such as ‘Tea leaves and Bergamot’ and ‘Dark Chocolate and Orange’. One of my favouites is the ‘Poppy’ scent which is sweet and tartly perfumed and yet manages to retain a freshness too. For the full range go to: www.candella.ie

Many gardens I have visited have wowed me, Versailles left me reeling with wonder and the sheer grandness of it all, the Alhambra speechless at the perfect symmetries. The most personal connections I have had with gardens however have been with spaces that have not been visually over-designed. Spaces that seem so much a part of nature that when one learns a garden designer has created them, it seems impossible.

Many successful gardens in modern times embrace the ‘Wild garden’ concept, or what is known today as the ‘New Perennial movement’. New perennial and naturalistic garden designers use a clever mix of grasses and herbaceous perennials and plant them in a softly drifting way to echo how plants grow in nature. However natural and wild these gardens feel and seem, there is a sophisticated rhythm and pattern behind the layouts of these gardens. Plants are chosen for their form, structure and movement and much of the gardens success relies on the careful choice of plants that sustain themselves in the chosen habitat.

Most of us have seen a garden like this at one time or another, possibly even at show garden festivals, where the new-perennial movement makes its way into most gardens in one way or another. Not many people however know that the roots of the wild garden, or new perennial movement, which have spread all over the world, are said to have come from the mind of an Irish man. William Robinson was a late 18th century and early 19th century gardener who embraced a more wild and natural approach to garden and planting in parallel to the Arts and Crafts movement’s search for simplicity and honesty. Robinson, who was also a Journalist and writer, wrote many books championing the use of ‘wild garden’ planting. Interestingly he was also the first gardener to introduce the idea of leaving no gaps in borders, something that is also apparent in most show gardens.

A perfect example of a famous ‘new perennialist’ is the Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf. Oudolf’s work manages to be both stunningly recognizable as his signature style as well as looking like it has always inhabited the space it fills. His use of repetition and large drifts  of one plant overlapping with another in his garden make for beautiful patterns which feel like they are almost too beautiful to be true.

Some ideas and plants for your own naturalistic new perennial border

If you like the feel of these wild and beautiful gardens here is some inspiration from the best.

Achieving the easy and natural look of a new perennial garden is actually not as simple as it looks. behind many seemingly simple ideas lies a wealth of experience in composition, scale, proportion, harmony, balance and of course in-depth planting knowledge. The idea is to create a sense of nature while having a very clear plan in mind. A great way of starting to explore this style is by choosing a few plants and playing around with a small composition. Here are some ideas based on Piet Oudolf and Noel Kingsbury’s writing in ‘Planting-a new perspective’.

1. Start off with an anchor plant- Piet Oudolf calls his the primary plant. This will be a plant that has the most impact in the border, one that really shines and has a visual appeal. I love the idea of using the soft yet visually arresting Nepeta or Catmint as this plant and combining it with another similar textured one such as a more pink Salvia. Oudolf plants these in informal drifts, sometimes as blocks of planting, making them feel like a river of purple and pink. These can then be planted along some primary plants with lower impact-the supporting plants-such as Alchemilla mollis and more green foliaged plants.

Ideas for Primary plants: Nepeta varieties, Salvia varieties, Iris sibirica, Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’, Astilbes.

2. Next comes the Matrix plant. This is often a grass which is planted en-masse and has a strong structural and visual appeal. This matrix plant gives real atmosphere and movement to the master plantsman’s schemes. Within this matrix scheme we have groups of smaller plants which are more visually prominent. Oudolf often uses grasses such as Sporobolus heterolepsis, Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ and Deschampsia ‘Goldtau’ to name a few, to create a flowing movement to his schemes making them feel truly magical.

Ideas for Matrix plants in a scheme: Stipa teuissima, Hakonechloa macra, Molinia arundinacea.

3. Last but not least Oudolf adds the scatter plants which give the real sense of wildness. These plants are scattered throughout the scheme and unite the whole area just as plants would grow in a wild habitat. I love how he uses plants such as Echinacea and allows them to pop up here and there, looking like they have always been there. The tall seedheads also work wonderfully in contrast to the colours of the primary plants.

Examples of Scatter plants: Echinacea purpurea, Anemone x hybrida ‘Pamina’. Thalictrum delavayi ‘Album’, even trees such as the Rhus typhina can be used to create scattered heights.

Explore

A Manhattan meadow scheme to green the city.

Naturalistic style planting is particularly exciting if placed where it is least expected.

On the New York’s High Line project a green area has been built on an old and disused railway line which is owned by the city of New York. Here, in the heart of Manhattan, the raised park is a wonderful example of new perennial style planting and can be found right in the middle of the city. The project, for which ground was broken in 2006 was designed by James Corner Field Operations, a landscape architecture firm, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Piet Oudolf, planting designer. The park is operated, maintained and programmed by a group called ‘Friends of the High Line’ as well as the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. It is a wonderful example of how old urban structure can become a home to a healthy wild biodiversity.  Oudolf, a former nursery owner combines the planting here so cleverly, making it feel like nature is truly reclaiming the platforms.  For more got to: www.thehighline.org

Leonie Loves 

Lessons from the Master

When I was studying garden design in London I did a lot of research on the History of garden design and how it evolved through the ages. Studying each era was fascinating and there is much to be said for so many garden styles and approaches. When I first came  across the work of Piet Oudolf I was literally mind-blown. This man’s work was so quietly stunning and elegantly breathtaking it was hard to see where nature ended and the garden began, and yet….his designs are almost too beautiful to believe. A master of the naturalistic and new perennial style of gardens this designer has created commissions all over the world and his style is instantly recognizable. This book is a wonderful study of the ideas and thought processes that go into his gardens and takes a close look at the structures, intentions, methods and plant choices that make this designer’s gardens so great. Interestingly this book is written by Oudolf and Garden designer and writer Noel Kingsbury, who together share their understanding of plant ecology, planting combinations and performance. A fascinating read for anyone interested in gardens that are rich in spirit and sophisticated in design.

Planting -A new Perspective

by Piet Oudolf and Noel Kingsbury