We visit the Lake District a LOT… we’re less than an hour away so it’s very easy to drive to. We enjoy weekend jaunts to visit beautiful places we have’t seen before and of course we love relaxed lunches in welcoming county pubs! Even so there are some areas we haven’t explored yet and there are gems to uncover.
It’s good to have somewhere to sit in a garden. Here in our country garden we have wooden furniture. It’s appropriate, it matches the setting and helps to create the mood…
Borders are usually arranged with tall plants at the back and shorter plants towards the front. If you want to see all your plants that makes sense. Shrubby plants often create a solid mass of foliage as they grow which acts as a good screen or windbreak behind other plants. But sometimes it’s more interesting to have taller plants at the front…
Looking for ideas for a beautiful garden? This is the perfect time to check out some summer borders. Many gardens open to the public have huge dramatic borders full of hardy perennials. Most are easy to grow and will thrive in any garden.
Despite the cold wet weather the garden is full of life. I tried to photograph a lovely woodpecker feeding on peanuts today but they are very shy birds and it flew off as soon as it spotted me. I wandered down to the pond and birds in the hedge caught my eye. Once again they were off before I could take a decent picture… so here are some photos of the hedge which couldn’t get away!
Garden design is a complicated business.
Good designers know about plants, design and construction. They have the vision to see how your garden will grow and develop over time and if they’re really good they will exceed your expectations and give you the most beautiful garden that you can imagine. It takes designers years to study and learn everything there is to know about this subject. You couldn’t possibly design your own garden could you? … Or could you? I think that you can… Here’s why:
I went to visit Gresgarth yesterday. It’s a large country garden set within the hills of north Lancashire at Caton. What I love about this garden is the strong structure provided by hedges, walls and terraces contrasted with the informality of the planting.
When I was a student I was lucky enough to meet Rosemary Verey. I already knew her garden at Barnsley House quite well because I had visited with my family and poured over her book Making of a Garden. She has created a beautiful English garden in the Cotswolds.