A curve of Sisyrinchium Striatum

There is a curved path that sweeps out from the terrace.  It arcs away with a small equally curving bed on one side containing box balls while on the other is the main herbaceous bed.

The smaller curving bed was used in our Tulip trial and our intention is to plant more Tulips in it later in the year.  However, it craves stature and form. 

One plant that we have already used extensively in the garden is Sisyrinchium Striatum.  Its name is something of a mouthful but it has become a firm favourite.  Its leaves are a spiky light green and it grows in a clump-like form. It has thrived and seems perfectly at home in our chalky soil and exposure to sun from our south facing site.  It is also an evergreen and offers the added advantage of all year round interest even when not actually in flower.  Indeed it is now about to flower and small rosettes of white flowers with pale yellow inside are appearing. 

It is this plant that we have used to define the curving path and yesterday my order of 25 arrived at Holmes & Sons for collection.  I planted all 25 last evening and the effect is immediate.  They add this definition to the space and take the eye to the end of the path in the most pleasing way.  I will plant an under-story of planting so that the Sisyrinchium rise imperiously out of the folliage and flowers below.  But even now having just occupied the space, the planting scheme works well.

Purple Sensations

I have an abiding love of Alliums.  In particular Allium Purple Sensation which we had planted extensively in our old garden and which we ensured would feature here at Ordnance House.  Right on cue it has arrived and as the name suggests is both purple and sensational.

Because of a warm March and cold April many of the plants developed oddly shaped flower heads.  This manifested itself in the form of leaves breaking out of the crowns and lumps and bumps.  A quick snip here and there seems to have made them presentable again. 

We always plant Purple Sensation with Alliums Mount Everest and Nigrum.  The effect is dramatic and as we plant more bulbs each year the effect grows in scale.

Meanwhile I have planted more Veronica hybida 'Inspire Blue' along the long path that divides the garden.  These will now take over from the Tulips which are fading rapidly and going over.

I added two more roses, both Jaqualine du Pri, on either side of the wooden bench at the end of the Lavender path.  The splash of white and the beautiful scent will be worth waiting for.

And then it was on to some hazel weaving to create a small hurdle fence to divide off the bed containing the Portuguese Laurels and Panicum vigatum 'Heavy Metal' (a switch grass that will grow like a green upright fountain) and the grass mound at the bottom of which this bed sits.  The fence creates a wonderfull backdrop for this border.

But it is the splash of purple that catches the eye this weekend and I will enjoy the delight of these Alliums for as long as they are in bloom.



 

One year on

It was exactly one year ago that we moved to Ordnance House.  We were awash with packing cases and boxes.  The weather was blisteringly hot. The house echoed with removal men, while what existed of the garden was large parched, straw like areas of grass. 

One year on it is cloudy and cool.  The house is now a home and we are well on the way to creating the garden that has existed in my head for over a year.  We have lawns and borders, vegetables and soft fruit.  An orchard and an ornamental Parterre.

The Tulips are now going over but the excitement of the full show of Alliums and Foxgloves awaits.  These signature plants are my stars of the show and their entrance is awaited with much anticipation.  They will transform the space.  But at long last we have what I feel is a real garden.  Yes, it is immature but we have hedges and trees and beds full of flowers that bring colour in all its forms.

Yesterday I planted out our first Tomatoes and erected a bamboo frame for them to grow up.  It is also time to replenish the pots with Summer bedding replacing that of Spring.  The Vegetable garden is showing encouraging signs of produce and the soft fruit garden is slowing developing.  The compost bins are filling with grass cuttings and garden waste which will over time be added back into the garden to improve the condition of the soil.

So one year on we can be pleased with progress.  We only started on the garden in August last year so it is, in effect, only 9 months old.  But a garden it is and it can only get better with time and maturity.

Planting Lavender in the rain

It's a rainy Bank Holiday Monday and time to plant the last of the Lavender.  On the weekend I had planted a Lavender intermedia called 'Sussex' along the rusted arch walk but today it was time to concentrate on the parterre.

This area lies next to the main Lavender bed with its many varieties all planted late last year.  It contains a round seating area defined by limestone sets enclosed by Box hedging and balls dotted around amongst a grove of Portuguese Laurel standards all finished off with Cotswold stone chippings.

But it was always the intention to plant Lavender in this area in amongst the Box balls.  This would create colour while also maintaining a link with the Lavender bed next door.

I have taken a while in selecting the right kind of Lavender for this bed as I wanted a variety that kept a tight ball shape and did not sprawl.  The variety I chose was 'Folgate'.  This has a vivid blue when in flower while also having the natural tendancy to keep a neat ball shape.

These small plugs of Lavender will soon thrive and increase in size to fill the space.  But this was the last of many tasks completed this weekend - edging, weeding, grass cutting, creating wigwams of hazel for Sweet Peas to grow up and planting more plants in the bed next to the vegetable garden to name just a few.  The bed adjacent to the vegetable garden needs colour and height.  It needs to be pretty too as the orchard provides a lovely backdrop.  The planting I chose was:

Achillea ptarmica 'The Pearl'
Verbascum 'White Pixie'
Origanium Herrenhausen
Aster frikartil 'Monch'
Cephalaria Gigantea
Campanula persicifolia
Delphinium Magic Fountain dark blue dark bee
Oriental Poppy 'Perry's White'
Hollyhock 'Double White'
Hollyhock 'Single Black'

We also managed to plant two Weeping Birch in the Orchard and the soft folliage creates a lovely effect.

Even though it has been a weekend of changeable weather we have made progress with the garden even if a little sun and warmth would have been welcome.