Get the look Take planting
inspiration from the Elliptical Garden at Holker Hall
It can be difficult to plant a coordinated bulb display in autumn, because it’s hard to imagine where the gaps will be come springtime. “People often suggest using a notebook and taking photos to remember where to plant,” says John. “But I take so many notes and photos, and being so busy, I tend to forget what I was going to do!
“For me a better strategy is to prepare my bulb order from catalogues in spring, when I can see the gaps I want to fill. Then in autumn I pop them into labelled containers, and when they start to emerge in spring I plant them into the borders.”
When John moved here 20 years ago, the garden was mainly laid to grass with just a few plants. “I didn’t have a masterplan when we moved in, it just evolved over time as my knowledge grew and inspirations changed.”
For height, John has added arches and obelisks, planting colourful clematis and climbing roses to clamber over them. “I like to use tall, narrow plants in small gardens because they don’t take up a lot of space or block views of the garden,” he says. “That’s why I’ve planted columnar yews and slender conifer Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’. But I also use a French pruning technique that’s very useful for bulky shrubs – it’s called la taille de transparence, where you selectively prune branches to create a natural shape and let more light into the
I like to use tall, narrow plants becuase they don’t take up a lot of space
canopy. I’ll be using this on the Cornus mas next to the summerhouse once it’s reached a mature enough size.”
By combining a large range of plants, John has made sure his garden looks good throughout the year. “Spring bulbs in the mini woodland garden provide a welcome splash of colour after winter,” he says. “These are followed by the cool, calming, fresh green of leafy ferns, hostas and aruncus, whose various shapes and textures contrast with the towering spires of white foxgloves.
“For the summer months there’s a sloping border planted with pastel flowers and grasses such as miscanthus, calamagrostis and Hordeum jubatum.
“Grasses not only have a see-though quality that’s perfect for a small garden, but also they add height and winter structure,” says John. “They perform a unifying task, linking different sections of the garden. I like mixing grasses with daisy-type flowers, in particular, to create a slightly wilder look.
“I’ve been inspired by the way they use plants at Great Dixter for some time, but lately I’ve become very interested in the natural-habitat-style planting of Nigel Dunnett and James Hitchmough, and this is how I want the garden to evolve.”
In a bid to make the garden more wildlife friendly, John has recently added a small pond as a focal point. Surrounding the pond he’s assembled a mix of contrasting foliage plants, including the rounded leaves of bergenias, swordshaped irises and the large, horse chestnut-like leaves of rodgersia.
“For me, a small garden can still have plenty of impact,” he says. “I focus on combining different shapes, textures and colours of foliage, which make up the structural backbone of the garden, then use ephemeral flowers for added shots of colour as the seasons progress.” ✿
Different shapes, textures and colours of foliage make up the structural backbone