The Grapes in Limehouse, East London is a famous old pub. Charles Dickens stayed there and wrote some of his famous works. Today it's just a great riverside pub but it also tends some amazing hanging baskets in modern crazy colours. Just great.
Blog posted here.
With all the plants we can now choose for summer bedding it is easy to forget that sometimes simple works better. These red geraniums planted in mass show real style. Yardz photographed them at Canary Wharf in London. All the beds around the main buildings and in the small garden areas are massed with geraniums - great style and so easy to do.
Blog posted here.
Why not put a bit of exoticism in your yard this autumn. Fascicularia bicolor is a terrestial bromeliad that comes from the coastal forests of Chile. It is hardy though in most southern areas of Britain.
They have spiky dark green foliage but their main feature is their stunning flowers formed by some of the leaves turning bright crimson around the central flower. They flower from late summer through autumn so would make excellent container bedding especially if combined with the bright colours of Miracle cyclamen.
Photo:Chelsea Stickel
Plants shown are Sansevieria Futura Simplex, the gold one, and the almost black Sansevieria Nelsoni.
In the latest edition of the American Garden Design magazine, there is a feature on growing Sansevierias, known as 'Mother-in-Laws Tongue'. I gather in parts of the USA they are a favourite of garden designers as they grow like weeds when planted outside. Here in Britain we only know them as houseplants.
They can though be used as summer bedding in containers looking stunning tighly packed together. They need though to go back under protection for winter though I read that they will withstand temperatures down to 28F/-2C as long as they are kept under well drained conditions.
'A glassfull of minerals' Chelsea Flower Show May 2010
I'm not a juice buff but I understand that wheatgrass is the top health giving juice ingredient. You see wheatgrass in juice bars in small trays in which they have been sown and the forced under artificial light. You can buy the grass in these trays ready grown and even by frozen wheatgrass ready to use.
There is another way though. Grow the grass outside as an attractive alternative to a lawn, in a windowbox or hanging basket or just as a feature. Wheatgrass grown in the open is meant to be better for you with less simple sugars and carbohydrate and also less risk of mildew.
So instead of mowing the lawn being a chore - just snip a bit every morning for your heathy wheatgrass drink!
Rudbeckias are great plants for late summer and autumn colour. Their bright daisy flowers glow in the lower light levels. Most varieties of Rudbeckia are tall border plants but breeders have now started producing dwarf varieties that are great for container growing.
This super vairety is Rudbeckia Tiger Eye which is dwarf, uniform in height and fully branching. Plant now and they will give masses of colour until the first frosts,
New from www.thompson-morgan.com is this new PetuniaSophistica Lime Bicolour. I grew the plants from seed early this year especially to plant in my summer hanging cones. The plants are great but there are too many plain pink flowers and not too many lime splashed ones. Overall though I am pleased with the result - the look especially great looking down on them from the bedroom windows.
Are nasturtiums just for kids? I love nasturtiums they have everything - or nearly everything going for them. The seeds are cheap to buy, are available in a wide range of colours and growth size, easy to grow and will last all summer. (the seed pods also maker good substitutes for capers in cooking).
The only downfalls are that they are prone to attacks from blackfly, needs loads of water in dry weather and if allowed will take over your garden - either by growing excessively or seeding everywhere.
I grow my nasturtiums in large easily move tubs that can sit on walls and colourfully drape down over the bricks. I also grow them in colours to complement permanent planting such as my Crocosmia Lucifer.
It must be something about the south Devon air that encourages its inhabitants to be so adventurous in their planting. I spotted both these schemes last weekend. The planting above was by the waterfront at the Barbican and has been well designed to stand up to hot dry conditions as well as the full force of atlantic winter gales.
The other scheme was part of communal gardens behind trendy new apartments. This is a fascinating scheme using a wide selection of grasses, perennials and shrubs using in strict blocks giving almost a 'barcode' look. My only worry is what it will look like in a few years time with all these plants having a wide range of growth pattern.
Both schemes I'm sure could be adapted to small garden design perhaps using blocks of vegetables between more permanent plantings of evergreens or grasses.
Conifers have been out of fashion since the 60's and 70's. Shrubs and then perennials have taken centre stage in garden planting. But now conifers and especially slow growing conifers are making a comeback. Inter planted with mainly evergreen grasses they provide great low maintenance ground cover with lots of colour and texture interest throughout the year.
