Yew Planting

The nine Yews we ordered have arrived and today we made busy planting these in the front garden. The Yew will add an important architectural element to the space. They have replaced the assorted roses we inherited when we moved in last May.

In time we will trian the Yews into teardrop shapes and the line of nine in all will look quite stately. Come Summer we will plant under and around the Yews most probably with Scabia.

Then it was into the back garden to plant up the long border on the southern boundary. This included Cornus alba Variegata and Cornus alba 'Eleganti', Spiraea japonica 'Shirobana' and Spiraea japonica 'Candlelight' plus some Dicenta Alba. The lighter colour of leaf and flower is important to balance out the garden.

In the central round bed we also planted Lysimachia clethroides with its lovely swan neck like flowers. Keeping with the white theme we added Geranium cant. St. Ola more Dicentra Alba and Stachys bzantina (lanata). We can already see signs of small Allium leaves appearing in this border - we have previously planted Mt. Everest, Purple Sensation and Nigrum.

We added still further to the main herbaceous bed planting Papaver Orientale 'Patty's Plum', Achillea Cerise Queen and Erysimum 'Bowles Mauve'.

Thankfully we have been lucky with the weather and getting this amount of planting done now has meant we are ahead of schedule with our planting plans.

Stone balls

Ordnance House is a garden of curves, swirls, circles and the odd entirely round border. Balls are also a reoccuring theme for we have lots of Box, Yew and Ligustrum balls dotted around the garden creating points of interest. I find that even in Winter there it something immensely pleasing to the eye about a rounded piece of topiary. Something soothing about the gentle curve of a gravel path. But I confess that I also love stone balls.

Stone balls perfectly counter balance the green of box balls while looking strikingly architectural when placed on their own or in groups. We were lucky a few years ago to come across the Stoneballs Company (http://www.stoneballs.co.uk/) and they have supplied all our stone balls ever since.

Bringing the stone balls to Ordnance House from our old garden at Linden Barn was a caper as each weighs a ton! It was amusing to watch our removal men challenge each other to great feats of strength trying to lift them. It was a scene worthy of 'World's Strongest Man'. Not for me, I roll them around to position them like a stone age man. But they do look quite wonderful and the garden is all the better for them.

I ordered two more stone balls for our collection and these arrived yesterday, They will sit perfectly next to a stone bench on a section of land we have prepared with stone slabs and gravel. This sits adjacent to a new border with balls of box and Himalayan birches with their wonderful white reflective bark. In Spring this border will have Tulips and Wallflowers so the whole effect will look great and this simple seating area will be a place to enjoy. All the more so because of my lovely stone balls.

Plotting, Planting and Recording

Planting has continued apace. As each plant is ticked off the planting list, we record the position in which it has been planted against the plan. Of course a GPS system would be more accurate but for our purposes the general position is all that is required.

Most of the plants are brown green clumps or straw-like sticks at this time of year so some imagination is required. However, in my mind I can see each and every one in full bloom at the height of Summer.

This weekend we planted:

• Euphorbia Baby Charm (a new variety I wanted to trial)
• Acanthus Spinosus
• Astrantia major 'Rubra'
• Penstomen 'Husker Red'
• Dwarf Sweet William in mixed form
• Geranium phaeum 'Samobor'
• Stachys 'Wisley White'
• Hyssopus officianlis Albus
• Aquilegia 'Black Barlow'
• Nepeta 'Walkers Low'
• Nepeta nervosa 'Pink Cat'
• Iris - Constant Waters, Indian Chief and Carolyn Rose

Thankfully I was able to avoid chopping through the many Tulip and Allium bulbs we have planted during Winter as I did plant the bulbs really deep.

We also managed to plant the remaining three Clematis in the lavender walk next to each rusted arch so this job is now completed.

Then it was back to barrowing more mushroom compost across the garden to the original garden bed that we have widened and will add planting to. This bed is full of Hellebores now, white and redish pinks. Many came with us as divided clumps from our old garden and have taken well.

We will now leave the remaining planting of the herbacous beds for a few weeks to let the bulbs show through and the plants we have in the ground develop a little. Meanwhile we will make busy with adding more structure and next week we have 9 yew cones to plant in the front garden. Then the focus will be the long border at the gardens southern boundary when more shrubs are needed and lighter colours are required so that they stand out against the hedge-line.

Thankfully the nights are now getting lighter and there is a general feeling that the corner of Winter is being turned as we head for Spring. I cannot wait!

Herbaceous planting begins

It's time to start the planting of the main beds with herbaceous perennials. These plants will provide the colour palette of the garden in all its many shades and tones. Over the coming weeks and months we will be busy creating layers of colour that will define the garden here at Ordnance House. Today's planting included:

White

• Stachys - bzantia (lanata) and Wisley White
• Hyssopus officinalis Albus
• Sisyrinchium stiatum
• Rose var: Noaschnee
• 3 x Salvia turkestanica Alba
• Scabiosa caucasica Alba

Blue

• Eryngium planum (Sea Holly)
• Salvia xSuperba 'Adora Blue'
• Campanula perisicfolia Blue
• Campanula Prichards Variety
• Scabiosa caucasica Blue

Green

• Helleborus foetidus
• Luzula nivea (a grass)

Purple/Red

• Geranium cantabrigiense Karmina

Almost black

• Aquilegia Barlow Black

We have been lucky with the weather as it is both dry and sunny; thankfully this has allowed us easy access to the beds and borders. Let's hope we have such good weather for the rest of the planting.

In addition we were able to create a new border at the bottom of the mound at the south west corner of the garden. This curved bed was planted solely with Portuguese Laurels. Over time this will develop into a solid mass and contrast with the green mound behind.

Finally, we mulched and fed with mushroom compost one of the original borders which we have enlarged. This should do no end of good to the soil composition and the plants we have in place as well as those yet to be added

So, all in all a busy but productive time.

Rusted Arches

The Hellebores are in flower and full of big, ripe buds. They are most welcome providing the perfect start to a new year in the garden here at Ordnance House.

Meanwhile another piece of the jigsaw is in place with the delivery of the rusted arches that will link the central round bed to the long bench at the southern boundary. We had these specially made as the path they will span is a braod one. Soon they will be planted with Clematis Viticella Purpurea Plena Elgans and then underplanted with Sussex, an intermedia Lavender.

Already they have added new dimensions of height, perspective and a sense of journey. The effect will, in time, be quite French especially when the Lavender is in flower. But for now they provide simple, raw structure.

ASoon we can concentrate on the planting of the main beds and then the garden will move to the next stage.