How to achieve the look

A shady position with a dark, lichenpatterned background provides a great opportunity to play with texture. Heuchera are available in many sizes and colours and I have chosen ‘Silver Scrolls’ for its predominant silver on a burgundy background, mirrored in the colour of the pot. Its dainty flowers seem to hover above the leaves and sway gently with the slightest movement of air. The sword fern Polystichum munitum will ultimately grow into a large plant, but until then it is useful for anchoring the Maianthemum racemosum with its creamy-white flowers. The flowers of both the Heuchera and Maianthemum will fade within a few weeks, but the display is still a reminder of that happy afternoon in Brazil. I drilled three holes in the pot and filled a third of it with grit to provide enough drainage. Being located in the shade, the plants will need less moisture, and overwatering could be a danger. Well-rotted leaf mould mixed with multi-purpose compost is a good choice of material for filling the rest of the pot, but a good-quality, ready-mixed growing medium should suffice. Cut the spent flower stalks off the Heuchera, but leave the Maianthemum as the flowers will develop into attractive red berries. A weekly dose of liquid fertiliser will keep the plants growing well, but there is a chance of vine weevil infestation. Vine weevil larvae will eat notches out of the leaves, but a treatment with nematodes will help break their life cycle.