Garden design, plant information and product reviews
Yucca filamentosa is an evergreen native to Guatemala and Mexico where it was commonly planted as a boundary marker or barrier. It is fully hardy and in maturity reaches a maximum height of 200cm and a spread of 150cm. It is happy in full sun or shade and is generally easy to please. An essential part to any tropical, architectural or Mediterranean planting scheme.
Chamaerops humilis, also known as the Dwarf Fan Palm, is a slow growing evergreen palm and well suited to cooler climates with larger specimens easily able to make it through the winter. Unlike other many other palms this is fairly windproof and therefore an excellent choice for the coast. In cool climates you can reasonably expect C. humilis to reach at least 200cm high and much the same spread. Should be counted as essential in a tropical planting scheme.
Fatsia Japonica is an evergreen shrub with glossy green palmate leaves. With a maximum height and spread of between 350cm and 400cm F. Japonica is frost hardy and is essential in a tropical planting scheme. An excellent partner for Phyllostachys nigra and Dicksonia antarctica this native of Japan produces insignificant flowers in autumn which are followed by small black fruits.
Carex buchananii is a striking grass which contrasts beautifully against other grasses. C buchananii is evergreen with rich bronze foliage with a maximum height of 75cm and maximum spread of 100cm. Fully hardy, it makes a striking architectural feature all year round and is equally at home in containers or in a prairie plainting scheme. Looks wonderful planted with Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' and Carex morrowii 'Variegata'
Website offering an enormous selection of plants, trees, shrubs, garden products, gift ideas and sundries of all types. Also has an advice facility and cut flower delivery service.
An evergreen bamboo, the tall and slender yellow canes of Fargesia murielae make an enchanting noise when moving in a breeze. Whilst growing up to 400cm high this is a relatively non-invasive bamboo spreading up to a maximum of 150cm when fully grown. Some shelter is beneficial for F. muriela but other than this it is unfussy in its location and aspect. F. murielae is perfect for tropical and architectural planting screens but is a faultless choice for hedging and screening
An evergreen non-invasive bamboo which will thrive in full sun. P. auricomus will reach its ultimate height of 250cm and ultimate spread of 250cm within twenty years and boasts beautiful ribbon shaped yellow leaves striped with mid green. P. auricomus is essential for a tropical garden, a garden requiring architectural interest or even in a container where its spread can easily and reliably be controlled. Native to Japan, P. auricomus is fully hardy.
Since the genuinely likeable Monty Don took over Gardener’s World from Alan Titchmarsh his fan base has grown rapidly. He has based this book on his own gardening experiences from his organic garden and the book has many photographs of this included in this book. Characteristically, his advice is simple to follow and doesn’t alienate the less experienced gardener with complicated latin terms and names. If you are interested in organic gardening, especially creating your own organic vegetable garden this book should definitely feature on your bookshelf. Available from Amazon.co.uk
A book that anyone with even a vague interest in their garden should have on their bookshelf. Masses of colour photos of trees, shrubs, grasses, perennials, bamboo, succulents etc. The second half of the book is dedicated to text covering all you need to know about the plants of your choice, including ideal growing conditions. It’s a beautiful and invaluable book, which is worth every penny and of course, the reassurance that comes with the RHS name. Recommended.
Even the most successful garden and landscape designers experience a lack of inspiration from time to time but, at these times, this book comes into its own. It is beautifully put together with helpful diagrams, photos and pictures for whatever type of garden you have in mind. It’s professional and detailed enough to be of use to the professional but with its straightforward yet intelligent approach will be a huge benefit to those taking on their first project or trying to transform their own garden. Essential
The 45 lost English gardens explored in this book are organised by region and they cover a wide range of period and style, from the late 1890s through the 1930s. Kathryn Bradley-Hole has revisted most of the locations and explains their background and their fate. Hardcover: 192 pages (May 2004).
