Garden Re-orientation and Maintenance

Anna Osborne of Elvet Garden Design & Maintenance visited for a consultation yesterday. It was a beautiful autumnal afternoon, however I concentrated on writing down her instructions and advice - on planting, renovating, renewing, pruning - rather than taking photos. Today, I took the pictures to indicate to what her advice referred. The weather is dull, wet and miserable, added to which I don't feel very well.

Anna made our garden back in the Spring and Summer of 2007. It is about 18 months since she last visited and so I was very apprehensive about yesterday's session. There were pages of advice and suggestions. I thought it would help me to write down, in a somewhat more permanent and illustrated form, the basics of her three hours of garden consultation.

The Cornus kousa requires pruning to re-establish its structure and maintain it within its alloted position - rather close to the row of leg apples and south-west facing garage wall. RHS advice is 'do not prune' however when previous gardeners have pruned and thus produced an unpleasant "hedgehog" effect of dense inter-twined branches like a tree umbellifer (!) and long, weak side shoots, something has to be done.

Anna suggested three options: pollard and let it grow out over several years; radical branch removal to let in light and allow leaders to establish by pruning out rogue off-shoots; re-establish the umbellifer. The last was mutually rejected as potty! I'm going to take out main branches in late winter. It will be a slow processes of re-establishment over several years. Initial removal of large limbs then, in subsequent years after flowering in Spring, thin out some of the off-shoots. I think it may have been pruned in the wrong seasons (for a tree that is not supposed to be pruned at all it's rather difficult to know when is the right season). As it's a Spring flowering tree, I'm inclined to follow the general rule for that type. However major tree surgery is always best when a tree is as dormant as possible.
The mass of inter-twined off-shoots are above.
A general view showing the 'hedgehog effect' and Cornus Kousa's proximity to the apples and the garage wall.

We next turn to the truly problematic area: from the new lawn looking upward through the large stone terracing and the sweep of herbaceous planting beyond. Anna described the effect as like a 'green wall' that cuts off one's view upwards without providing sufficient interest lower down. My intermediate solution was to plant alpines in a suitably adapted situation (shown above). Because alpines are low, the green wall effect is multiplied. The first row of alpines (shown two below) works reasonably well because they are in real rock crevices.

Anna outlined two approaches: take out the taller herbaceous plants and make the border one of low alpine subjects, with more structural, low shrubs. The eventual effect would be to destroy the 'through border' view from the top path. At the moment the wide walk-way cuts through what have been planted as a continuous border. I like that effect, so this first option is out, for me. The second option is to grade the height and interest from the second rock terrace so that the largest herbaceous subjects do not appear like a long and rather high wall. The wall effect can be reduced in high summer by removing completely certain thugs such as the common persicaria (above) and over-large geraniums. All the ladies mantle has been removed already. This option will both create a gradual increase in height as seen from below, but have punctuated sight-tunnels up to the top of slope. It's very difficult and could not easily have been predicted as a problem two years ago. Hence, the second option is the one I have chosen to follow.

I will replace the smaller alpines on the slope up to the Acer and round to a very large thuggish persicaria (to be removed). The replacements suggested are persicaria affinis (in variety), stipa, Veronica peduncularis (now renamed umbrosa) 'Georgia Blue', crocosmia solfatare, hemerocallis, osteospermum. That is a long and complex list (because of the large number of hybrids available) from which we can find many good specimens for this site - and of course for others where a similar effect is spoiling the view. In addition Anna suggested cat mint, agapanthus and thyme.

Clematis alpina in variety could grow up the fences to complement what is already there.Along the top path, to replace and fill in where scabious has failed and the geraniums lack interest (below) Anna suggests Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant', and sisyrinchium striatum (a non-alpine form). These would prolly also work in the various problem areas where we are trying to create intermediate height. Anna is also recommending Allium sphaerocephalon as it looks splendid and will provide some vertical punctuation.

The two Ilex 'Golden King' are growing strongly. Not the one below, but the taller one in the orchard area, has been successfully crown lifted. However Anna points out that both now need some serious pruning to get them into a reasonable shape. The one below is becoming particularly straggly and formless. Pruning in early March, I suspect.
The Garrya below is also growing well in its little pocket by the house wall. Anna recommends cutting out the lower branches in March.
Planting under the Ilex by the lawn: there is a double difficulty or problem here in that to the left of this photo it is sunny and wet, whilst actually under the ilex it is dry shade. For the damp sunny spot Persicaria affinis would be perfect, as would hostas, heucheras, or a Geranium (eg x oxonianum which flowers from spring to autumn - and the cultivar 'Walter's Gift' is good) all would thrive in at least part shade so long as there is moisture. Where it is genuinely dry and shady, epimediums are always good, but as Anna suggests one can always use Bergenias, Lily of the Valley, Cyclamen following on from Dicentra Formosa. All these would look good with snowdrops.
Below is a difficult area above the new rock garden. There are several plants here inherited from previous owners: principally another thuggish persicaria (below). Anna recommends its replacement with a Cornus alba 'Sibirica Variegata' and judging by the photo in that link it is an excellent idea. Also suggested by Anna was Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire' which, judging from the views of the Cambridge Botanical Gardens in that link, would also work - though not on that kind of scale obviously! Another link to it.

We have wildish dogwoods in the Church Walk and the splendid Cornus kousa in the orchard, so why not? I mean, looking at that photo below could anyone tell there was an Amelanchier in front of the persicaria? There is also supposed to be a small peony border around the Amelanchier, but it is not a success. Those peonies have already been moved once from the now more successful shady border further along and surrounded by evergreen shrubs. If those peonies fail to thrive next season, another re-planting is indicated. Though where to, I do not know!

A very large, old camellia can be seen in the photo below on the back left, with an azalea in front of it. Both need to be pruned to shape and location according to Anna. This should be done after they have flowered, prolly for the last time!

The aforementioned shady border is behind that camellia, but not photographed in this post. Anna recommends altering the end of that border (next to the camellia) by re-planting several small subjects elsewhere and planting a large herbaceous subject such as a Rodgersia podophylla. I think it might be too large, but could be useful in the next area we have to consider - either side of the stream that drains into the canal, presently dominated by two enormous bamboo.

Below is the black bamboo. Anna recommends reducing its overall girth and dense content by one half. This to be done now forwards by cutting out the new growth around the circumference and cutting inward in sections. The final overall effect will be that one can see through the clump, but the height is unaffected. I favour the idea of a cordon sanitaire around the clump made from permeable sheeting. There is some innominate plant behind it that needs to come out.

The green bamboo on the right hand side of the stream facing the garden from the decking is to be removed completely and that will be a seriously long and difficult job.

We are now looking at the stream and its surrounds. Below shows how the indigenous fern has been successfully sprayed out. In the middle distance left, the Pittosporum 'Tom Thumb' looks reasonably happy, though the link shows what it should be like in its native New Zealand! When the black bamboo next to it is reduced and the nameless thing is out, Anna recommends several Japanese Painted Ferns. You can tell where this is going - a wet, shady Japanese feel to the area, but with less bamboo. The BBC advisory web site says these ferns are for 'experienced' gardeners.
We think that the stream's appearance will be improved with some white pebbles in it. Anna suggests planting baskets with appropriate subjects such as water forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides) and white arum lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica). These would need to be taken in over the winter (??), but should look very good with the Iris sibirica. At the moment the torrential rainfall would wash anything away I think. So anchoring down is important.

At the back right of the photo below is some sort of rose cottage garden trailer which does not flower. The plan was to replace it with an already ordered Rosa glauca from David Austin's.

The green bamboo which can be seen below right is to be replaced with a 'spectacular' acer. We are looking for height, bark and autumn colour. It may even be worthwhile in this case buying an established tree - from Hilliers perhaps, though my book (of 1987) states that specimens up to 1.5m are the largest available. Cannot believe that. Planted under the acer Anna recommends several Hakonechloa macra 'Albo-aurea'. This other link shows its use in a lovely water garden. And here is a site for all kinds of grasses.

In the above photo one can see the awkward and narrow gap between the decking and the border which rises steeply in a couple of terraces. Anna recommends a strip of pond liner with some drainage punched through to create a bog area for candelabra primulas (Primula bulleyana). Also Primula florindae seems very attractive for this idea.
Above, where the little stream goes under our bridge there is a muddy patch with wild marsh marigold. Anna recommends an darmera peltata.

In the semi-shade of 'fern corner' above Anna recommends the wild form of dicentra formosa, epimediums, and of course more heuchera (see below - I could do better than this). Barnsdale have an enormous range on sale and it's a good excuse to visit again.