When the the days are long and the temperature warm, the perennials in our gardens really put on a dazzling show. I love to use colourful plants in our garden projects to add vibrancy and drama to a space. 

Here are a few of my favourites to use:

Salvia - so many to chose from but you can't really go wrong with Caradonna or it's smaller cousin Caramia. Both needing a sunny spot and free draining soil, they will flower for months with moody violet blooms.

Helenium - I love Moerheim Beauty for it's long lasting rich red blooms tinged with burnt orange. A tall perennial i sue at the back of a border. 

Aster Monch - This creates a great cloud of pale blue daisies in the late summer and autumn, and is a must have in any of my projects

I hope i have inspired you to add some of these plants to your garden for summer colour​

I love to be able to pop into my own garden a gather a few flowers for the house. It doesn't mean that I grow all of my flowers specifically for cutting. Often in the spring months I rely in being able to harvest flowers and foliage from my permanent borders which contain shrubs, perennials, bulbs and grasses. 

Here are some of my favourite plants to pick from in the spring to make my own garden posies:

Euphorbia - I grow several varieties in my borders including E.oblongata which produces slender stems of vibrant acid green flowers for most of the year,

Erysimum (Wall Flowers) - A splash of colour from Wall flowers can be so welcome as the winter months make way for the spring. Available in shades of purple, pink, yellow, orange and white there's one for everybody.

Heuchera - the foliage can be wonderful in small posies to provide a tonal contrast and a backdrop for the more vibrant flowers...

​Over the years i’ve tried and tested many spades, forks, secateurs & cultivators and i’m guilty of buying some which look lovely but just can’t withstand more than an occasional bit of light work!  So i thought i’d share with you my favourite tools, those we use for planting our projects and those worth buying to help you maintain your new garden. 

Spades and forks are the key tool.  They need to be hard wearing, light enough for use all day and easy to clean up and keep in good shape. I learnt several years ago that the beautiful looking wooden handled types you see in all of the garden centres are just not strong enough for regular soil preparation on our local heavy soils. I’ve broken more than i care to mention! So i now choose those with stronger handles and avoid metal handles which tend to be too heavy . Stainless steel blades & tines are a must, the very cheapest spades and forks you’ll find in the garden centres have carbon steel blades which are strong but their surface isn’t as smooth as stainless steel so it is more difficult to slice into the ground and to clean the blade afterwards.
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For planting borders we opt for 'border' spades which have a smaller blade than a traditional 'garden spade'. As they are light weight  they are user friendly for long-lasting planting jobs. We will use a larger garden spade for planting large shrubs or trees. We tend not to use forks for planting. These are kept for breaking up ground or mixing manure/ compost into the soil.  I recommend Draper 'expert' range as i find them durable and long lasting. 

​Soil – the stuff we should all have beneath our feet unless we are living in a high-rise. The typical garden soil in our region is a heavy clay loam, although there are areas with exception. Clay loams are nutrient rich due to the ability of the clay particles to hold on to useful nutrients. Unfortunately clay also has it’s down sides. If compacted it can drain poorly and be very wet in winter whilst dry rock hard in summer. The best way to improve clay soils is to add manure or garden compost along with grit of sharp sand, something we do on every Planting Project or Full Garden Transformation. It is essential to have soil in ‘good-order’ when we plant the garden, to ensure that the plants have everything they need to survive and thrive.  When we’ve incorporated raised beds / planters into out projects, we source good quality top-soil and mix this with compost. The topsoil needs to be weed free and screened to remove any large unwanted materials.

The variety of plants available to gardeners is almost limitless, and can seem daunting when you are learning their names and how to care for them. Here we provide a basic guide to climbing plants and their attributes.
 
Climbers - As their name suggests, these plants climb up a structure or surface, there category refers to the fact they climb as opposed to their habit. Consequently they can be annual, perennial or shrubby.

Annual climbers include Sweetpeas, Morning Glory and Thunbergia.

Perennial climbers include some but not all of the Clematis, the perennial Sweetpea and Hops...

​The variety of plants available to gardeners is almost limitless, and can seem daunting when you are learning their names and how to care for them. Here we look at two of our favourite textural foliage plants - Ferns and Grasses. 

​​Ferns - A favourite of ours, Ferns offer wonderful textural foliage in a range of shapes and sizes. Generally suited to shady spots, several will cope with a sunnier aspect in the soil remains moist. Most ferns are clump forming, and a few which we use will creep gently too. 
Ferns are easy to maintain - just requiring old fronds to be removed, generally in the spring prior to the new fronds emerging.
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Grasses - Another favourite of ours, ornamental grasses offer a wonderful array of textures, colours and forms. They can be diminutive tussocks at the front of a border or giant feathery plumes at the back. They offer long term interest for very little input...

The variety of plants available to gardeners is almost limitless, and can seem daunting when you are learning their names and how to care for them. Here we examine the difference between Shrubs, Sub-Shrubs, Wall Shrubs & Trees.

Shrubs - Often used as anchor plants within a border, they provide the structure which perennials lack. Shrubs grow a woody framework which they retain year on year. This framework is generally pruned to shape rather than being cut back to ground level like perennials. The woody framework bears the foliage and flowers on it’s stems. Roses are a classic example of a shrub (although often you see them classified into their own category)...

The variety of plants available to gardeners is almost limitless, and can seem daunting when you are learning their names and how to care for them. So what are Perennials and how do they differ from Annuals and Biennials? 

​In the 20 years i’ve been involved in the horticultural trade i must have grown several million plants destined for gardens across the East Midlands. Being a professional grower and plantswoman i know what to look for in terms of plant quality and health when selecting plants for a clients garden or my own. If you are visiting a garden centre or nursery, here are my tips for buy the best plants you can...

Recent research indicates that our treasured domestic gardens in Britain cover an area bigger than all of the country’s nature reserves combined. Our own gardens may not be large but they create important wildlife corridors for wildlife and much needed habitats.  With the loss of many natural grasslands, meadows and woodlands, our gardens are becoming vital in the battle to preserve our biodiversity. 

Not all of our butterflies live solely in the UK, some migrate from Europe each year and will be attracted into our gardens if we can offer them a nectar rich food supply and food sources for their younger selves. Butterflies are generally 'on the w ing from March to October', so by ensuring we have a succession of flowering plants in bloom throughout the seasons will provide them with a vital food source and we can enjoy the display too.

When setting about a planting bed from scrath or adding to an existing scheme, it's important to ensure there is sufficient of each plant variety to support the butterflies and attract them to the garden - so planting in groups of 3, 5 or 7 will help. Butterflies will prefer a sheltered spot too so planting by a boundary wall or fence would be beneficial.