Plus, they revealed the creative thinking behind their prize designs
This beautiful slice of Japan is a true oasis amid the hustle and bustle of central London. The garden opened in Holland Park in 1991; it was a gift from Kyoto and a gesture of friendship between Japan and Great Britain. It's filled with stone lanterns, tiered waterfalls, and even peacocks to snap a selfie with. Londoner Peter Hoffer says: "My favourite part of the park is the peaceful Kyoto Garden, which is like a tiny pocket of Japan inside an English setting. When I first moved to London, my apartment was only minutes away. I would often spend time here to get away from the cramped space of my flat."
You must see these most beautiful gardens in the world! They include the formal French gardens at Versailles, the rose garden at Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild Gardens and the floating gardens of Xochimilco, Mexico. The poison garden at Alnwick Castle in England is fascinating too!
These fabulous freebies in Southern California offer tons of fun without spending a dime.
Could we ever see too many photos of Butchart Gardens? I think not. Karen Harris (who lives in Raleigh, North Carolina) visited recently, and is sharing with us today. Check out these beautiful photos of Butchart Gardens.
This west London areas guide will show you some of the best places in west London to live and visit. From Chelsea to Fulham, there are lots.
The new Children’s Garden at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, opened on 18th May 2019 and features bespoke sculptural Fruit Hoops, Tunnel Hoops and Pergola Hoops created by Handspring Design. The company came up with the concept for the design of the Hoops at Kew and, working in partnership with All Urban and PCF Works, built the
The problem with garden profiles, that you often see in magazines or on garden blogs like this one, is that they capture a garden at single point in time. But gardens are not static things. They change constantly. So in a series of posts that I'll show you over the course of the summer, I have gone back and revisited some of the gardens I photographed previously in the late spring. The hope is to give you a better sense of a garden's evolution over the course of a growing season. Of all the gardens I have ever featured on this blog, Joe's garden is by far one of the most popular. Based on page views and pins, you love Joe's garden! 'John Davis' Explorer Rose in June Early July In June, Joe's garden is filled with roses. (To get a more complete picture, you can see Joe's June garden here. You can see the garden in early July here.) In July, the roses begin to rest through the hot, dry days of mid-summer and a wide assortment of perennials take over where the roses have left off. Here is a island flowerbed from the front of the house in late July: 1. Phlox paniculata 'Pink Flame and 'Peppermint Twist' 2. Heuchera 3. Brunnera 'Jack Frost' 4. Pulmonaria 5. Sedum 6. Variegated Phlox 7. Annual Candytuft 8. Hosta Early July Echinacea in Late July. Late July As well as the flowers, foliage is key factor in the success of any of Joe's plantings. In the background of this picture, the spiky foliage of a bearded iris looks spectacular long after the flowers have finished. The combination of blue-green and cream has an echo in the foliage of the hosta in the foreground. As sunny as a yellow flower might be, the golden foliage of this hosta looks perfect paired with the silver leaves of a (1.) Brunnera 'Jack Frost' and (2.) the tiny purple flowers of perennial Campanula and (3.) annual Canndytuft. Annual Candytuft, Iberis Umbellata: Height 30-40 cm. Full sun. Flowers range from white to pink and mauve. Annual Candytuft flowers within a couple of months from seed. It is taller and less compact than its perennial cousin. Nestled in next to the Candytuft is another great foliage plant Jacob's Ladder 'Stairway to Heaven'. Here is what it might have looked like blooming in spring: Jacob's Ladder, Polemonium reptans 'Stairway to Heaven' has variegated foliage that is blushed with pink in the cooler days of early spring. The flowers are pale mauve-blue. Afternoon shade and moist conditions suit this plant best. Height: 25-40 cm ( 10-16 inches), Spread: 40-45 cm (16-18 inches). USDA zones: 3-9. Early July Phlox paniculata 'Bright Eyes' in late July. In the backyard, Phlox continue to be a important perennial in Joe's July and August garden. Phlox paniculata 'Peppermint Twist': Height: 35-45 cm, Spread: 30-40 cm. Full sun. Does equally well in moist or dry soil. Normal, sandy or clay soils are fine. Attractive to butterflies. USDA Zones 4-9. Phlox paniculata 'Pink Flame' has fragrant medium pink flowers with a dark rose eye. Height : 30-50 cm ( inches), Spread: 30-40 cm. USDA Zones 4-9. Echinacea 'Southern Belle': has magenta pompom flowers. Does equally well in moist or dry soil. Normal, sandy or clay soils are fine. Attractive to butterflies. Full sun. Height: 50- 90 cm, Spread: 50- 75 cm. USDA Zones 4-9. Balloon flower, Platycodon grandiflorus is a great perennial to have in any mid-summer garden. This is a tall, upright perennial that has a carrot-like root. The inflated looking flowers pop open like balloons, hence the common name. Colors range from blue to pale pink to white. Depending on the cultivar you choose, Balloon flowers will grow as tall as 60-75 cm (23-29 inches) and spread as much as 30-40 cm ( 12-16 inches). USDA Zones: 3-9. Early July Early July Late July I hope you have found a few new planting ideas in Joe's mid-summer garden. Bookmark this post with a Pin.
Continuing our tour of Scottish greenhouses.
Landscaped stream, Isuien Garden, Nara Park
A “Monet” garden is one that replicates the great artist/gardener’s use of special visual effects, color harmonies and garden accents. The Monet Garden at the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens was dedicated in 2003. Roughly one acre in size, it features hundreds of varieties of trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, wildflowers and bulbs. VIEW LARGE ( if you have the time) Tiers of colorful flowers cascade from arbors and trellises and over rock walls and paths, delighting visitors in a non-stop show from March through October. Numerous benches located throughout the garden, also in the Monet style, allow visitors to sit and enjoy spectacular views in every direction. A graceful bridge spans upper and lower water gardens, providing an excellent vantage point for viewing the extent of the garden. The Monet Garden is a cooperative effort of the Arboretum and Botanical Gardens and the Johnson County Extension Master Gardeners Linda Hartong Photography. ©All Rights Reserved. 2008 Do not use, copy or edit any of my photographs without written permission.
We have long wanted to build a bridge over the lake end of the brook. It is an essential part of the landscaping, as without it one has...
When Libby Russell moved to Batcombe House, Somerset, it was the countryside with which she fell in love. Over the past 17 years, she has taken cues from that landscape to create a garden that is entirely at home in its setting. Natasha Goodfellow reports. with photographs by Eva Nemeth.
Hello everyone! This post is the second post in what I've decided will be a 3-post series. I would have had this one done sooner if I'd planned on doing that from the beginning, but, I tried to shove it all into two posts, and quickly realized I just had too many photos...and the post would have been ridiculously long...so, there you have it. On with the show! Starting where we left off, this pic is probably from June...things are starting to fill in nicely. After a few people commented on it, I realized I never actually listed the plants used for this project, let's rectify that now! Here we have one of my favorite new plants over the past few years, Anemanthele lessoniana, along with Libertia perigrans...which, I realized as soon as I planted them, were a bit too similar to be used right next to each other. The Libertia was an impulse buy, however...I've actually decided that although I like it in theory, it just doesn't work here. I think you need a large-ish patch of them to really make an impact. Two garden stalwarts, Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' and Echinacea 'Magnus'. I sort of go back-and-forth on 'Karl Foerster', thinking I would love that space for a "more interesting" grass, but 'Karl Foerster' is so beautiful throughout the seasons, that just when I think I'll replace it, it looks so good, so "right" that I love it again. It's just so valuable at providing structure and contrast in my garden. Of course, Echinacea I just love beyond all reason, so I always have some...they are so perfect, elegant, honest. And of course, where Scott gardens, there will be Agastaches! In these front parking strips alone there are 4 different varieties of Agastche. Above we have both 'Golden Jubilee' and 'Purple Haze'. I just fell in love with this tiny groundcover last year, Acaena purpurea. Sadly, it wasn't super happy in my garden. I can't tell quite yet if it's where it's planted...or the dog pee. I'm leaning toward dog pee. Another Agastache, 'Blue Blazes'. I planted some of these in my back yard two years ago, and last summer I found out that they get WAY bigger than I thought. I forget, sometimes, that here in Portland, things just tend to get bigger than they are supposed to...like 20-30% bigger. I'm experimenting this year with aggressive cutting back on these, if they still swallow up their neighbors, I may have to move things around a bit. Here's a plant that was completely new for me last year, Eryngium yuccifolium, which has the awesome common name 'Rattlesnake Master'. I'd seen it in numerous Piet Oudolf plantings...and you know me, if Oudolf says jump, I say 'How high'! On the right is Molinia 'Skyracer', which I absolutely fell in love with after seeing it a few years earlier at Wind Dancer Garden in Salem. It looks humble here, but in mid-summer it erupts with tall, elegant stems of dark, almost-black blooms. Another grass I tried for the frist time, and fell in love with last summer, Muhlenbergia rigens, aka Deer Grass. I enjoyed the regular Knautia macedonica in the back yard so much last year, but really like having some variation in coloring when I comes to flowers...so was thrilled to find some 'Melton Pastels' last year. This is a crazy-tough plant and blooms forever. I'm hoping that with more sun in the strips, these won't get quite as tall as the ones in the back yard. Panicums just may be my favorite family of grasses, depending on the day you ask me. Tough, dependable, beautiful. This is a new variety I tried on a whim, 'Huron Solstice'. You can't tell in this picture, but as the year progresses, it becomes a riot of color. Another Panicum, with a habit as different from 'Huron Solstice' as you can imagine. While 'Huron Solstice' is more arching and fountain-like, 'Northwind' is strictly upright. If you are looking for an alternative to Calamagrostis, give this a try. Yet another Agastache, 'Desert Sunrise'. I love this particular Agastache...for its foliage as much as for its flowers. Another stunning grass, Schizachyrium 'Blue Heaven', which I absolutely adore. Lately, I don't seem to be able to have a garden without at least a few Sedums...here we have 'Matrona' and 'October Daphne'. As you can see, but the end of July, things had pretty much started to take shape. I can't take too much credit...things just seem to WANT to grow in Portlands mild weather. As usual, it helps that our spring lasts until July, so plants have a good, long time to settle in before the drought of summer sets in. Mid-July is such a great time here in Portland. It's usually not too hot yet, and everything is still fairly green and fresh. The days are long and the rest of summer stretches out before you. Of course, the flip side to summer in Portland is that the rain just STOPS. No rain for 3 or so months isn't exactly ideal for most plants. Luckily, the drip system we installed makes watering easy. Since these plants were all newly-planted, I watered fairly regularly until about the middle of July, then started to taper off, watering only when something looked stressed. Generally, I'd water once a week or so...and this coming year, I'll probably only have to water every other week...perhaps less. Planting tough, drought-tolerant plants definitely makes sense in a parking strip. Here is the Muhlenbergia rigens again, starting to bloom...I just love it! Tall grasses are irresistable to cats, I think they are channeling their inner lion, just waiting for the next gazelle. I'm still not used to how quickly plants grow here in the PNW. As summer wore on, Panicum 'Huron Solstice' started its show...merely a rehearsal for what was to come. If there is such a thing, I'd say my garden typically "peaks" in August. While, in my mind, August is still high summer, the light definitely starts to change now...with morning and evening light having a warmer, mellower tone. Even in these newly-planted parking strips, everything seemed to be rushing to bloom. Looking back at it, I can hardly believe that whole area was just lawn a few months ago! August also marks the point at which the warm-season grasses start blooming, here we have Panicum 'Northwind' And here are the impossibly delicate stems of Molinia 'Skyracer', which is almost impossible to do justice in a photograph. While obviously limited in size, at moments like this, the parking strip garden succeeded in my goal of creating a micro-meadow. Here, at the end of August, I'm going to wrap up this post, the next post will cover Autumn through spring, bringing us full-circle for the year on this project. BTW, happy first day of spring!
Turn that space by the curb into a spot of beauty that needs little care
400-year-old garden, restored to beauty.
Pettifers garden, oxfordshire: The meadow with magnolia 'spectrum', fritillaria meleagris (Snakes head fritillary) And anemone blanda
Balboa Park in San Diego, California, is filled with museums, gorgeous architecture (great for photo-ops), gardens, hall of nations, and lots more.
Even a small garden can enjoy a beautiful mini meadow with wildflowers. It's easy - but not as simple as just letting your grass grow. Find out here!
What walks can you do in the incredibly beautiful Lawn Hill National Park (Boodjamulla)? You're spoilt for choice, and they're all amazing!
Located in Kyalla Park, near Orange in the Central West region of NSW, this once-neglected garden is now a sprawling masterpiece that is designed to flow with the landscape and inspire generations to come.
Petworth is known for its Capability Brown parkland, open to the public, but in the private gardens, Caroline Egremont has created an exquisite and intimate sanctuary within a series of garden rooms.
Zilker Park Botanical Garden; Austin, Texas
Frank Cabot, a self-taught plantsman and horticultural legend, shares lessons learned over a lifetime of gardening. See his inspiring gardens
From rural cottage to grand estate, country gardens should be tailored to the house and landscape they occupy. Clare Foster talks to three garden designers about the elements that give a garden that all-important sense of place and we've included loads of inspiration to help you design your English country garden to perfection
With nature threatening to take over, architect Daniel Romualdez enlisted landscape designer Miranda Brooks to tame and transform the acres surrounding his beloved Connecticut retreat
Continuing his seasonal series, Dan Pearson takes a moment to appreciate the beauty of spring on his Somerset smallholding, before the growing season really takes off
The garden pathway is a must-have not only because it enriches the landscape and make the décor more beautiful but also for practical reasons. At its
Artist and gardener Julia Sherman takes her lunchtime inspiration from The Getty Museum's garden.
