reader garden
Christine gave her garden a new look by re-shaping her large, well-manicured lawn. She decided to turn its square edges into sweeping curves and extended her flowerbeds to give her more space so she could put in shrubs and seasonal perennials that would give the garden year-round appeal.
She planted a third of the border with evergreens and a smattering of purple foliage to draw the eye, placing the taller shrubs towards the back of the beds to create more depth and also give the garden privacy from neighbouring properties.
A cherry tree is a focal feature and provides an eagerly awaited explosion of frothy cherry blossom when spring finally arrives, which Christine says never fails to raise her spirits after a cold, hard winter. Her growing tip for cherry trees is to plant them – not too deeply – in fertile, well-drained soil in a sunny, sheltered spot and support them with a stake.
In a nearby island bed, she has planted low-growing, prickly junipers to prevent people from taking shortcuts
– her aim is to keep people moving along the grassy path to encourage them to admire the planting close up. She also likes to suggest they crush a juniper leaf as they pass and enjoy the smell of gin! Juniper fruits are used to flavour this classic tipple.