My 2021 vision is of a garden rich in colours and intense scents
Planing ahead, says our expert Agnes Stevenson, is the best way to achieve a garden where you and your family can enjoy the passing of the seasons
As the year draws to a close, it’s worth talking a walk around the garden to see what’s in flower. This has been one of the warmest years on record and that’s reflected in my garden, where I still have pelargoniums in bloom and the Japanese quince has been flowering non-stop since March.
It’s hard to predict what effect more changes in the weather will bring, but I have plans for 2021, including a redesign of the gravel area that’s been created in front of the new gabion wall.
This space, 4 metres long by oneand-a-half wide, looks on to the sheltered courtyard at the back of the house so it’s ideal for creating displays of bulbs and flowers that would otherwise fail to grow in our heavy soil.
Eventually I’d like the pots that are stacked up here to be filled with geraniums, verbena and nerines, but for the moment I’m concentrating on tulips, with a mix of orange ‘Ballerina’ and the deep purple tones of ‘Ronaldo.’
Alongside these I’ve got a collection of spiky phormiums, both plain and variegated forms, and I’ve moved the fig tree here to create a Mediterranean atmosphere.
We are fortunate in having several seating areas in the garden allowing us to follow the sun throughout the day, and the small courtyard gets the best of any evening warmth so we often eat out here in summer, which is why I want to add scent as well as colour. Currently my planting list includes many different kinds of herbs and perfumed flowers, including lilies, which do well in pots.
During the summer I planted up the bank above the wall, but I’ve decided it needs a makeover. The plum-coloured heucheras look less appealing in winter and the acanthus have all but disappeared. However the hellebores have flourished so I’m going to plant these in greater numbers and I might even try planting fritillaries again. All my previous attempts to grow these have been thwarted by the pheasants, but this is one part of the garden these decorative, destructive birds avoid.
Alternatively I might revert to my original plan, which was to cover the area in a compact form of Hydrangea paniculata, which would give a dazzling display of white bracts from summer until late autumn.
If you grow Hydrangea paniculata, compact or a full-sized, get the best out of it by cutting down the stems in early spring. Fail to do this and the shrub will grow tall and leggy, but by cutting it back every year you’ll keep it within bounds and encourage it to produce even more flowers.