I was very fortunate to grow up in a house that had a beautiful, established (by our predecessors) three acre garden. There was an orchard, big beds of mature shrubs, huge Scots Pines and tall, thick yew hedges that created a microclimate for the potager. This latter space was the most stunning part of the whole garden–even in the depths of winter or after a year or two of neglect.
The previous inhabitants–responsible for this marvellous set up–had been on a trip to France and on their return wanted to emulate the French style potagers, a space where ornamental plants grow side by side with edibles like vegetables and herbs. Box topiary and espaliered fruit trees gave structure to a place that on first glance looked purely decorative. But when you looked closer you found brassicas, carrots, potatoes and wild strawberries galore mingling with alliums, lupins, cornflower and beds of lavender and rosemary.
A potager style garden is great both for aesthetic and productive reasons; companion planting helps keep the soil healthy and the vegetables coming, and the use of a mix of pretty perennials also means that unlike in a traditional vegetable patch, you never have empty spaces while you’re waiting for your new crop to grow. Putting vegetables and ornamental plants in a bed together is particularly useful for those with less space.
You could create an entire garden around this concept, or just one area — depending on your ambitions. Here’s a few tips to get you started with your ornamental growing garden.
I find quite a few of my garden design clients like the idea of the kitchen garden being close to the house, not just for ease but because they enjoy growing and for them that is a big
The website greengrove.cc is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
As the golden warmth of summer winds down, many believe it’s time to hang up their gardening gloves. Whether you’re a city dweller with limited terrace space or just someone looking to optimize their garden yield, here’s a list of Vegetables You Can Plant in August and Harvest in September!
A fad in modern architecture and gardening or a necessity to bring back nature into industrialised densely built urban landscapes? Living green walls are becoming more and more popular, so we decided to explore the benefits, installation and maintenance process of these structures. Read on to find out how long they have been around, why so many buildings are having them, and how you can make one for your home.
The all-year round wait is over – Fantastic Gardeners brings you the jolly hugs of evergreen trees! From this month forward, real Christmas tree delivery is available at every door in London. Forget the hassle and concentrate on gift selection or yummy recipe browsing, while we take care of the centrepiece in your holiday decoration.
The almighty rose can easily be dubbed as the queen of flowers. It’s one of the most popular plants to give but it’s also an easy way out of the flower shopping hassle around St. Valentine’s Day. However, there is different types of flowers for Valentine’s day or any other cheerful celebration.
As the country begins taking stock of the damage caused by hurricane Ophelia and works to restore power to much of Scotland and Northern England, gardeners throughout the country are lamenting the destruction of their gardens.
One thing is sure the climate in your garden will change. You already know one week will be different to the next and I can’t remember when two months or any years were the identical to others. In many areas you can get 3 or 4 seasons in one day (or in Scotland one hour!).
Arduaine Garden in Scotland is well-known in international Rhododendron circles for the number of wonderful species grown here, many of which are considered tender elsewhere and grow unusually under a canopy of mature Japanese larch. To some people, rhododendrons are those unpleasant purple-flowered objects which clog up our native woodlands. This is but one species, Rhododendron ponticum or a hybrid of it which spreads rapidly both by seed and sucker. Arduaine’s collection is extensive containing about 400 distinct species. The rhododendrons range from the large-leaved giants such as Rhododendron protistum, Rhododendron sinogrande and Rhododendron macabeanum to the small-leaved, high altitude plants which are often classed as rock plants, a sample of which would include Rhododendron fastigiatum, impeditum and orthocladum. In between these two extremes sit the majority of species of differing sizes with a variety of foliage shapes and an astonishing range of flower colour and form. One of the specialities is the only Rhododendron from Ceylon – Rhododendron arboreum subsp. zeylanicum.