What’s looking good at the moment

There are now large pink puddles of blossom on the pavement, from the flowering cherry trees around where I live. It was beautiful while it lasted, although never long enough as far as I’m concerned. There is still a fair amount of blossom on the fruit trees, that too will be over soon, as the leaves are opening and starting to fill out. I am enjoying seeing all the tulips, I’ve completed a stock take (ten minute wander) of my own garden and now have a mental note of what I need to order, ready to plant and fill the gaps this autumn. I also love walking through local parks and visiting public gardens for inspiration. They have the space to plant large swathes but it allows me to see a plethora of shapes and colours and pick out the ones I want to use in my own or in client’s gardens. Full disclosure, my favourite tulips are the lily flowered varieties with their slender curves. Tulips such as Tulipa ‘White Triumphator’, the bright orange of Ballerina or the purple of Maytime with its white edges.

The violet blue of Iris siberica ‘Tropic Night’ is also out in full force in the garden, mixed in with a few of the darker Caesar’s Brother. If it ever stops raining for long enough, I’m looking forward to sitting out at dusk to enjoy their flowers. They have a luminescent quality that twinkles as the sun goes down. They are also easy, once established to divide to make into new plants. I managed to get six new plants for the front garden from two or three really large groups at the back. The geraniums too are on their way, the lilac flowers of Geranium nodosum are starting to appear and the buds have appeared on Geranium pratense. Along with the apricot flowers of Geum ‘Totally Tangerine. Last year I started planting more Geum ‘Moonlight Serenade’ than Totally Tangerine in client’s gardens. It is slightly paler than Totally Tangerine and has a wash of blush over it. I was particularly drawn to watching the sun shining through the papery petals.

Care and Development

Even with all the rain the gardens are filling out, so getting ahead now with a little pottering around the garden will help reduce the amount of care required at the height of summer.

• Harden off seedlings: As long as the frosts have passed any seedling growing in greenhouses or cold frames can be put outside during the day to start getting them used to the ambient temperatures. To start with they will need to go back in overnight.
• Deadhead: As tulip and daffodil flowers finish keep deadheading them but leave the leaves until they’ve turned yellow and are starting to die off. They can look unsightly but they are producing energy to store for next year’s flowers. I tend to use flowers such as astrantias and geraniums to plant in front and hide the leaves.
• Plant Supports: As the garden starts growing again in earnest it is worth putting in the plant supports by any medium sized or taller perennials. Ready to catch them and stop them flopping over as they reach their ultimate height. It is easier to add the supports in before the borders fill out too much, not that I always remember in my own garden.
• Start training sweet peas: They will need to start being tied in to supports to help them climb upwards. Whether tying three bamboo canes together, using bespoke obelisks or training them along the fence.
• Hoe off the weeds: Having dug up all the box in my own garden, the large spaces that have been left have happily been colonised by weeds, that I’ve been hoeing off before the borders fill out and I need to carefully dig round all the flowers.
• Prune Spring flowering shrubs: Once the flowers have finished they can be pruned, taking out any dead, damaged or diseased branches and then shaped if required. Shrubs such as Japanese flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa), Choisya and flowering currants (Ribes sanguineum).

Trends

I’m always keenly aware as more bees start appearing in Spring of the need to ensure there are some pollinator friendly plants in the garden. It isn’t really a new trend but it is still a high priority for many gardeners. Bees see at the ultra-violet end of the spectrum so are better at seeing blue and purple flowers. They will still source pollen from red or white flowers for example, it will be easier for them to flit onto them if they’ve been drawn into the garden by the blue of Geranium ‘Rozanne’ or the lilac scented lavender. The other consideration is single varieties, they struggle to get pollen from the centre of big blousy blooms.

With all the rain we’ve had recently, rain water harvesting and/or rain gardens should be something we are all thinking about more keenly. A simple water butt is a good place to start with rain water harvesting. They don’t all have to be black plastic and they can be clad in timber to match a shed or store too. The larger underground rainwater harvesting systems will hold a lot more water and can also be linked up to the house to store grey water (from the washing up or the washing machine for example). However there is quite a  jump in price from a water butt to underground system.

Rain gardens can be an alternative or used as well as harvesting systems, these range from the Grey to Green scheme in the centre of Sheffield. That was designed and installed in conjunction with the Landscape department at Sheffield University. To using rain chains or downpipes into a planter that filters and can store water in a chamber below the plants, for later use. A chance to help the environment and create something beautiful at the same time. Maybe this is the year that we look at how quickly the water meter is ticking over in Summer compared to the cost of installing a harvesting system or a rain garden, to make an informed choice next year.

What I’m working on

I’ve been asked for a design with no straight lines, so I’m currently drawing curves to create a journey round the garden. The terrace area and the raised planters are rectangular but the remaining paths and borders are all circular or curved. I will visiting this month to walk through the initial designs to see what the clients think of the initial ideas. This is also a garden where the client wants to immerse herself in plants, it is her happy place and I’m really looking forward to this one becoming reality.

We didn’t have the same cold snap that we had last year but many plants seem to have struggled to get going with the wetter weather too.  It has finally been dry enough and the plants have had enough of chance to grow to be able to plant up a garden that I designed last year. The trees and shrubs went in at the end of March and now the grasses and perennials have been planted too. There is something magical about plants, once they go in the garden becomes a space we can envision ourselves spending time in. There is just some wildflower turf or one or two more plants to add before it is finally finished. I’m looking forward to seeing it fill out and the clients taking their chairs out to sit out with a coffee.

Trees are also a big feature of what I’m sourcing at the moment for several different gardens, from blossom trees that will now be enjoyed at their peak next year. To ones to train as espaliers along the fence and multi-stem varieties to create a lower wider canopy without overshadowing the space.

Getting your garden summer ready

If you would like more help in establishing a colourful garden or border, I offer a planting plan service.

About the author

Camilla Grayley is an experienced garden designer, speaker and writer based in York. She designs gardens and delivers garden consultancy services for clients in Yorkshire and across the UK.

Get in touch on 01904 670330 or info@camillagrayleydesign.com