Garden design, garden planning, garden layout, planting plants and planting schemes

Planting Garden Planters for instant pleasure

Posted on July 3rd, 2009

Using the innovative modular patented Deroma ‘Repeat’ Planters with carefully selected Specimen Plants provides not only a superb visual and fragrant treat but an instant and practical solution to achieving impact in the garden and patio areas featuring specimen and architectural plant stock.

The modular design of the Deroma ‘Repeat’ Planters makes them the obvious choice for an instant but imaginative and flexible choice for spatial definition, and featuring a clever internal automatic means of irrigating the plant rootball there is no more need need to worry and inconvenience of  regular watering of plants. Deroma ‘Repeat’ takes care of this, allowing you more time to relax and enjoy the views.

The featured installation demonstrates clearly the versatility of using the Deroma ‘Repeat’ planters in gardens and with some thoughful consideration of plant selections, superb compositions are within easy reach for instant pleasure.

 Deroma ‘Repeat’ range comprises of four unique planter types, the Rosenpot (Large individual planter) and the modular units, vase, corner and trough. All available from our showrooms: GARDENSTUDIO, in Terenure, Dublin 6W.

TREES for Screens

Posted on April 5th, 2009

The need for screening is common to many gardens and a requirement which can cause many gardeners much upset and annoyance. Whether the need originates from recent change,  completion of new building works,  or provide shelter from a intrusive wind, or simply block an unwanted view, the choice of screening deserves careful consideration, especially in small sites and/or built up urban environments. Although some might still choose to plant inexpensive and fast growing evergreen trees like Leylandii, increasingly gardeners are seeking alternatives and growing interest and willingness to select a more subtle screen. Here I would like to provide some details of popular choices for trees but it would be wrong to omit any reference to Bamboo, technically a  member of the grass family, is a hugely popular choice for providing screening. Not surprising when one considers the general growth characteristics of certain bamboo, upright growth (> 4.0m) with small foot print (c 1.5m-2.0m), Phyllostachs ‘Aurea’ is a vigorous and evergreen choice. Apart form requiring some attention during the settling in phase (initial 3-6 months) Bamboos are thereafter independent grow well especially in sheletered sites. They are expensive to buy but otherwise offer ideal growth characteristics for screening apllications. There are several Bamboo varieties from which to choose for screening.   

Trees seem to fall in and out of fashion, but as the market re-discovers old reliables, gardeners seeking solutions for screening are prepared to be more adventurous and new alternatives are also becoming very popular:

Malus ‘Evereste’ (ornamental crab apple) is a conical tree with lobed leaves and ideal specimen for small gardens. Malus is one of the best for early spring blossom with eye-catching red buds and fantastic autumnal fruit.

Olive ‘Europea’ when it comes to selecting a stunning evergreen specimen, the olive tree with its silvery green foliage and rugged stems are certainly a very popular choice. Slow growing and easy to maintain looks great in a row or as a specimen.

Crataegus laevigata ‘Paul’s Scarlet’ (Hawthorn) offers a very interesting spring and autumn colour. A popular deciduous tree with red blooms in May and deep red berries in autumn.

Betula jacquemontii (Himalayan Birch) a very popular deciduous tree with architects is increasingly winning favour with gardeners for its striking peeling white bark scored with dark lines. Unlike the common Silver Birch (Betula Pendula) the leaves of the Betula Himalayan are oval turning golden yellow in autumn. Great planted in a row or for added interest as a specimen look out for a multi-stem.

Sorbus acuparia ‘Autumn Spire’ is a relatively new variety of Mountain Ash, boasting an extraordinary compact and upright growth habit. The popular columnar tree has fantastic fine cut foliage and glossy yellow berries with red tinge making it an ideal choice for growing in a row to provide a dappled screen. Excellent red coloured foliage in Autumn can provide added interest in the planted border.

The list is by no means exhaustive and other trees worthy of consideration include Amelanchier (Ornamental cherry), Sorbus ‘Joseph Rock’ (Mt Ash), Pyrus calleryana ‘Chanticleer’ (Ornamental Pear).

Ultimately choice of screening will be largely influenced by urgency of requirements including immediacy and extent required, but perhaps before making final decisions, it might be more beneficial for garden to use  some trees which offer an alternative but unique ‘dappled’ alternative to the previous ubiquitous opaque Leylandii look which has had many disatrous consequences for owners, gardens, etc.

Planning Beauty in a functional garden

Posted on April 1st, 2009

For some people achieving a beautiful garden can involve considerable effort and expense, whereas for garden hobbyists/enthusiasts, it might be more about 90% perspiration and perhaps 10% inspiration. Whichever approach you prefer, the success factors will be largely influenced by the methodology of the research, design and quality of workmanship at implementation stages. In addition to adopting a common sense approach to undertaking a garden project, no matter how large or small, here is some advice to assist your efforts for realising a beautiful garden.

The key to achieving a beautiful garden is one that is practical, functional, and aesthetically pleasing. The latter can be very subjective but many would recognise all too often fundamental errors in terms of practical layout or functionality. Some common examples of simple errors in these areas include, positioning the Garden Shed in the sunniest part of the garden with the knock-on effect of the patio being in a less than ideal location probably in a corner where it gets less use because the sun doesn’t reach that shine there when the owners wish to use it! Other problems are a footpath traversing the lawn making the grass area appear smaller and less useable. Children will always get more use and more fun from an open lawn. Creative planning will help determine interesting and appealing layouts, careful plant selection and good ground preparation will provide a garden which is easier to maintain and plants which are more likely to flourish and provide long lasting beauty.

But creative planning is not just simply about creating a garden which appears ’innovative’ but a process which must also consider a range of issues including owner’s style preferences, lifestyle, site conditions and aspects. Each has implications for determining garden layout and planting scheme. The design must also incorporate sufficient space and adequate ground conditions for trees and shrubs to flourish. A practical layout that not only allows owner enjoy views but also special features and outdoor spaces including Patios, decking and water features etc. Increasingly owners are demanding attractive gardens with low maintenance requirements. It is possible to design a beautiful garden with lots of interesting plants many of which might require little more effort than an annual clip or occasional watering/feeding in order to sustain interesting but thriving plant performances.

A common sense approach to plant selection is very important and surprisingly straight forward. Once again a little research will help, visits to the local Garden centres, public gardens, even a stroll around the local neighbourhood will all provide useful information on plants which might be considered. There is also an abundance of information available from the Internet. Important to select plants and shrubs with appropriate heights and spread growth habits, ie, try to match growth characteristics, plant’s preferred growing conditions with the corresponding spaces available in the garden. Plan the scheme so that the structure is appealing all year and not just during the growing season. Big gaps caused by ’out of season’ plants and shrubs demands careful attention especially in smaller gardens. Whether your preference is for mixed ‘dolly mixture’ or block/group planting, formal or tiere, there are many possibilities to create interesting perspectives and appealing views within most planting schemes. Other criteria include select relevant plants to suit prevailing ground conditions, for example, do not expect a shade loving plant to survive in a bright sunny garden, or a plant which prefers dry or free draining soil conditions to succeed in constantly damp soil.

Good ground preparation is an essential pre-requisite for the preparation of any new prospective garden and is especially important in order for plants to become quickly established and encourages good root development. If the site happens to be old and overgrown, you may need to remove some or all of the unwanted trees or shrubs, which might also indicate that the existing soil is perhaps tired and containing insufficient nutrients to sustain new plant growth. This can be easily rectified by simply mixing in plenty of well rotted manure or soil conditioner. Also add some slow release fertiliser and mix in plenty of compost. Before planting commences, give all plants a good soaking (simply immerse plant in a bucket of water for at least 30 minutes, remove and allow excess water to drain) prior to planting in the ground. After planting regular watering of the plants will be important until the plants become established and ‘independent’.

Perfect Patented Planters

Posted on March 1st, 2009

We’ve just received a sample order from Deroma (Italy) of their new ‘Repeat’ range of Planters which comprises a series of stunning looking but most advanced Planter design available on the market. We are absolutely overwhelmed how they managed to create something so beautiful, so simple but with so much intelligence and functionality. Congratulations and well done to the product design team at Deroma.

But what makes these planters so good, well for starters, they are light weight, in-built water reservoir, UV resistant, robust, becaus eof double wall construction there is no risk of any bulging by plants of outer wall. They can be used indoors as planters or outdoors as pots. The range comprises a series of four unique designs: Repeat Trough, Repeat Rosen Vase, Repeat Corner (front & back versions) and Repeat Rosenpot. They can be used individually or in an endless series of modular combinations making them ideal for for a high-end target customer for homes (Patios, Decking, Conservatories) or public spaces such as Hotels, Restaurants and Offices.

The ‘Repeat’ range is made of rotomoulded plastic they are resistant to frost and UV. Deroma means excellence in design, form and function and the authentic original products and the Deroma ‘Repeat’ range is available exclusively in Ireland from Owen Chubb Garden Landscapes Limited. 

For more information, visit:

http://www.owenchubblandscapers.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4

Magical winter scents

Posted on January 6th, 2009

It may be cold outside but winter is a great time for enjoying some of the more intensely powerful, fresh and fruity scents in the garden. Here are six tips for adding some great fragrance into your winter garden.

In nature, the role of scent is very simple, to attract pollinating insects to plants. During winter the air is humid and with few leaves on the trees and even fewer insects around at this time of year, the garden tends to be quiet. But despite winter flowers appearing to be smaller and colours more subtle, the strength of the fragrance can be colossal. Apparently nature has determined that during winter at least, that scent not colour is more important to attracting the few circulating pollinating insects.

For people, much of the garden planning tends to focus around the warmer summer months, however it is still important to include some winter scented plants even in a summer planting scheme. Position as always is important, so try to position winter plants near pathway or steps where the fragrance will be more accessible and enjoyed each time you pass by.

Worth remembering too that fragrance can also be found not just in flowers but also in plants with aromatic foliage, for example lavender, rosemary, santolina are all still very scented long after they’ve finished flowering and throughout the winter months. But the real star performers are of course the winter flowering scented shrubs and here are seven of the best:

1 Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata – rosy pink and white flowers of this evergreen shrub produce an incredible and pervasive strong sweet fragrance.

2 Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’ – the Chinese witch hazel, with sharp scents and distinctive spidery flowers in a range of colours including yellow, orange and red on bare stems.

3 Lonicera x purpusii – a rather plain looking shrub with creamy white flowers which last from November to March, but with a delicious scent that make it worthy of a place in any garden.

4 Mahonia x media ‘Charity’ – a beautiful evergreen architectural shrub, with prickly leaves and layered structure. A very popular shrub with garden designers. During winter, the plant produces impressive and heavenly scented yellow flowers, followed by clusters of dark blue grape sized berries.

5 Sarcococca confusa – commonly known as Christmas Box, a compact and easy to grow plant is ideally planted near a pathway from which the honeyed scent of the insignificant white flowers can be best enjoyed.

6 Viburnum x bodnatense ‘Dawn’ – a glorious and inspiring shrub when in full flower featuring tightly packed pink blooms on bare stems simply overflowing with a heavenly fragrance.

Do not forget you can also enjoy the winter scents indoors for days, simply cut a few stems, take them inside and place in a vase of water.

Winter Garden Wildlife

Posted on December 16th, 2008

Outside the weather is becoming cold, very cold during these harsh days and months of the oncoming Winter. It is very important to spare a thought and make some provision and offer some much needed winter cheer to our feathered friends with whom we share our garden spaces.

Recent surveys all conclude that the bird population and varieties are in decline, and in some urban areas some species are in rapid decline and on the verge of becoming extinct. Much of this has to do with the urbanisation of our towns and cities, but also the development of rural areas. There is perhaps a sense of powerlessness to prevent the relentless development and consequential loss of valuable hedgerows and green spaces in the countryside, but within our urban environments, especially in our gardens there is much we can do. During the winter months, when food sources become scarce, there are a number of things we can do to help our feathered friends survive this very challenging and harsh time of the year.

Planning Plants – yes, planning makes sense, choose varieties that can provide dense cover for the smaller birds and protection for the larger species. Clearly plants which are also a source of food are ideal. Select shrubs which provide berries, fruit and/or hips. Popular choices include pyracantha, wild roses, cotoneaster, mountain ash, holly, berberis and crab apple are all excellent choices. Leave an untidy pile of timber and/or leaves in one hidden area, an ideal habitat for hibernating hedgehogs, which incidentally are natural predators of slugs.

Providing Food – if your garden isn’t quite ready or sufficiently developed to provide natural sustenance and cover, you can provide much needed daily food supplements to help the local bird population. There is an enormous range of bird feeder types and sizes as well as foodstuffs to choose from and most good garden centres, DIY stores, even the local Hardware grocer, will all be well stocked with product at this time of year. So whether your preference is for feeder tables, boxes, nets or balls, be very careful in selecting the position. Avoid any areas where predators such as cats could be a hazard, best to choose open locations where smaller birds especially can access area safely and yet have good visibility of lurking predators and larger birds etc.

Regular Feeding – sometimes, one can be very enthusiastic and provide copious amounts of food, this is not a good idea. Better to provide small amounts on a regular basis, e.g. provide a daily feed, in this way, no food will be wasted or left to linger which might potentially attract rodents. During very cold spells, be sure to provide a source of water which has become frozen.

A few simple but regular measures can make a huge difference to your local winter garden wildlife.

Enjoy low maintenance planting with colour and form

Posted on July 21st, 2008

More tips on some of our favourite plants, two groups which we use quite extensively in our planting schemes especially for low maintenance gardens: Hebes and Ornamental Grasses. Although both of these groups are very well established with many traditional and popular varieties to choose from, in recent years some fantastic new very colourful and compact growing varieties have also become available. Hebes boast stunning colourful leaf and together with a long flowering period with a possible second flush in September following a light trim, makes them ideal for all gardens but especially the smaller gardens where space is a premium and all year round colour and interest an essential prerequisite. Our favourite Hebes include:

Hebe ‘Magic Summer’

A spherical growth habit and growing to approximately 80cm (just under 3’ 0”) in height and 100cm (just over 3’0” in width). The leaves are greyish white and in winter and spring time change colour to deep purple. In summer elongated light purple flowers appear. Spent flowers should be removed, and this plant likes a well-drained soil and a sheltered spot. Lightly prune (light clip) in early summer. This plant is reasonably hardy and is suitable for planting in the garden, balcony or patio containers.

Hebe ‘Goldrush’

An unusual Hebe that reaches a height of 30-40cm (12”-15”) and a fabulous plant for the garden, balcony or patio container. The growing points are a beautiful yellow colour and in late spring and in early summer the plant produces pink flowers, which are really pretty and eye catching. In early spring the growing points are reddish, forming a striking contrast with the yellow foliage. Hebe ‘Goldrush’ should be planted in a sheltered spot, in well drained soil. Trim lightly and dead head after flowering.

Fuchsia diva ‘Whitney’

Growing only 20cm high and 25 cm wide (< 12”) this fuchsia is ideal for in bedding displays, summer containers or at the front of a mixed shrubbery. Best planted individually or in irregular groups, Fuchsia diva ‘Whitney’ is an ideal compact early flowering fuchsia and an easy to maintain plant. Preferring sun or partial shade in a well drained soil, you’re guaranteed a profusion of pink and violet flowers in summer. Tip: after planting, the rootball should be marginally below the soil surface. Water well after planting.

Acorus gram. Ogon

One of the best in its class, with a bright yellow leaf and central green or white stripe, is a low growing ornamental grass. It is a very decorative plant with several good qualities. Low growing, so perfect for the smaller garden (we plant them regularly in water features and rockeries). Flowering panicles from May to October. A relatively trouble free and easy plant, position in sun or part shade. Cut of panicles after the flowering. Tip: makes a striking edging along the front of a flower bed.

Sesleria caerulea

One to find but well worth the search. This blue moor grass forms basal mounds of blue foliage, topped by small spike like panicles. Grows to 30cm (12”) tall and best in full sun or light shade. Flowers from March to May and is planted to great effect in groups as groundcover or individually around water features. Evergreen and impressive.

Rediscover the magic and romance of Summer Roses.

Posted on July 12th, 2008

Once roses were extremely popular and to be found in practically every garden. Although many people still admire and enjoy roses, their popularity has in recent years diminished as many find it increasingly difficult to find the time and effort to maintain such plants. Undoubtedly a plant of great beauty and some with heavenly scent but many varieties demand regular attention to ensure healthy condition and optimum performance. For many gardeners roses would not be considered an eligible member of the ‘low maintenance’ plant group whilst for others the various pests and disease problems associated with roses undermined the plant’s popularity. This is a great pity because roses are true romantics within the garden area and despite the ‘problems’ are very reliable for putting on a fantastic displays during the summer months of June and July.

Fortunately for the many time poor gardeners, some new exciting rose varieties are now available which demand little maintenance or effort. A number of varieties including the popular ‘Flower Carpet’ which come in a range of colours including Pink, Sunshine, Coral, Red Velvet and White, offer a long flowering season, rich green foliage, compact bush habit (Height approx 600mm and allow 3 plants/m²) and are naturally disease resistant, making them ideal for any time poor ‘low maintenance’ gardeners. Ideally planted in a sunny site, prepare ground by adding plenty of well rotted manure or soil conditioner/compost to loosen soil. Dig large hole, place plant in position and level with surrounding soil. Firm ground around plant, fork in a quality rose food into moistened soil. Keep plants moist during dry warm spells and an occasional trim will ensure prolific flowering into the autumn. The compact ‘Flower Carpet’ roses are ideal for even the smallest of gardens, contemporary or traditional, in beds, borders or planters, the compact carpet rose are guaranteed to have instant appeal.

For pure magic and romance, few plants can compete with Summer Roses. ‘Flower Carpet’ range should be available in all good Garden Centres.