With the fantastic weather this weekend I put some serious time into the garden. As with anything it’s all in the preparation so first I tackled the little border I have in the front. The previous owners of our flat obviously liked slate – I removed 13 bags of it! Underneath the soil was compacted but not in bad shape. We’re on sand which is easy to work but doesn’t hold nutrients or water well so whilst I dug it over I incorporated plenty of compost to give it a good start. A quick rake and level finished the prep. I’ll now leave it to settle for a while until I’ve decided what to plant there.

At the back I prepared the narrow strip between the decking and the fence with some more compost, cleared the honeysuckle that was taking the fence over and started painting the shed – I’m using an off-white colour so it’s going to take a few coats. My neighbour commented that it looks a bit like a beach hut, which is the look I was going for so I’m pretty pleased.

The herbs I planted are really putting on some growth now. It’s amazing what regular water and a bit of plant feed does. I’ve also popped some French beans into a grow-bag and am going to grow some basil from seed for economy as we use such a lot of it. Yummy with a simple meal of tomatoes, mozzarella, olive oil and some crusty bread.

Japanese Garden

Going by the weather its time to get gardening in earnest now – There’s so much to catch up with and so much about to inspire us. I love going round gardens to get inspiration for plant combinations and with the Chelsea flower show on every night my notebook is packed! This week-end I was in the Brecon Beacons in Wales and we visited one of their famous gardens. My favourite area there was a Japanese inspired Garden. This could be easy to replicate at home by painting a shady wall or fence in a light colour and planting it with fresh green Shuttle Cock ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris) Red leaved Japanese Maples (Acer palmatum) for contrast and Witch Hazel (Hamamelis) for the sweet smelling flowers in late winter or maybe a spring flowering Cornus kousa shrub. I would probably add some evergreen Euonymus japonicas shrubs for all year round interest along the back of the bed and some Japanese anemone (Anemone x hybrid) for the beautiful pink or white flowers in the autumn. A large granite bowl and a deer scarer would finish the look.

Summer Time Is On It's Way!

At last we have seen a bit of sunshine. It still feels a bit chilly in the mornings though, much more like April then mid May. Nature seems to be a bit behind as well, in the Forest the Oaks & Beeches have only just leafed up over the past couple of weeks & I’ve noticed blue bells just coming out now a good few weeks behind last year.

We’ve made good use of the weather & begun work in earnest on our garden. The new stretch of fencing is up & decking is being laid this week. I’ve even found the perfect set of Garden furniture to go on the decking at our John Browns centre (pictured) – Unfortunately I think it may be a bit large!

Out in the centres this week we have a dazzling array of plants to choose from. My favourite Viburnum shrubs are starting to flower, pictured is Viburnum plicatum Lanarth. Found originally as a seedling in a garden in Cornwall this is a very tough variety that will grow quite large if not given the odd prune. The lacey white flower-heads make it worthy of a place in any garden if you have the space. It also gives a pretty good show in Autumn when the leaves turn a lovely red colour before falling.

Happy Plants!

Looking round the Garden Centres this week I am rather taken with the Rhododendrons. These evergreen shrubs pass most of the year unnoticed but give a good green backdrop to show off more colourful plants. In the late spring however they reveal a beauty all of their own as their flowers begin a show that is truly unforgettable. Originating from hostile environments such as the Himalayas they were highly prized by the intrepid Victorian plant hunters who risked life and limb to bring plants back to show off in their gardens. Seeing them at their blowsy best at this time of year you can see why these horticulturalists went to great lengths to secure sometimes just a handful of plants.

Despite the weather being so awful to us the plants are having a lovely time. There’s plenty of fresh rainwater available to them, longer daylight hours and its even a few degrees warmer. This week I have noticed plants everywhere really putting on a spurt of growth and as usual we are spoilt for choice. Polemonium (Jacobs ladder) is just starting to flower. This is such a pretty little perennial with Forget-me-not flowers above ladder like foliage. My favourite variety is ‘Stairway to Heaven’ which has the added benefit of variegated foliage with a delicate rosy pink tinge around the edges of the leaves. Planted with the contrasting leaves of Heucheras (the deep purple or rusty oranges work best) you’ll get a fantastic display worthy of a place in any garden.

Display Techniques

Well I think this week we’ll all agree that this is possibly the wettest drought in history! I’m not going to mention the weather again this week as I think we’ve all heard enough about it.

Last week I spent some time out and about looking round other garden centres and nurseries for inspiration. One thing I brought back with me – as well as a few new plant varieties – was the use of colour. In retail we are taught to merchandise using blocks of colour to attract the eye and the best displays I came across were indeed big blocks of contrasting colours. This display technique should be standard practice in a garden centre but you can also use this principle in your garden to create impact. Next time you plant if you have space try planting in blocks of the same thing rather than lots of different things and see what a difference it makes to your outside ‘look’. A good way to experiment with this is to use packs of bedding plants which are great value for money and colour. Then if this season’s colour choice doesn’t work for you you can change it next season with the plants.

I visit our garden centres at least once a week to see what’s happening out there. It was especially nice to see our Landford centre whose recent outdoor refit is now complete. Landford has always been a favourite but the new fixtures and fittings have taken a pretty plant area and made it stunning...