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Our Inspiration

April to Oct 2013  Gardens,Sheringham,61

Annuals -  Borders or meadow mixes.
A joyous mixture of clarkias, salvias and corn marigolds.

Ground Cover
Soil shading plants along with a gravel mulch prevent emergence of most weeds in the studio garden. Hosta 'Halcyon' with glaucons leaves is prominent here.

Wild Gardens &  ecologically based native planting.
A largely self seeded carpet of ramsoms or wild garlic covers this woodland floor on the edge of a country garden.

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Gravel garden with xerophytic planting.
Perhaps the UK’s  most famous dry garden created by Beth Chatto in low rainfall Essex. With climate changing ever more relevant.

A successful Chelsea exhibit, where attention stealing sculptures hold the stage and the flowers although a vibrant orange, a controversial colour often considered dominant, provide the supporting cast.

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The American plant version of a wild flower meadow style, contains cone flowers, (Echinacea) white blazing stars (Liatris) and bee -balm (monardas).

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Exquisitely subtle planting by Cleve West at Chelsea. Its apparent 'naturalness' perhaps masking the skill in its arrangement. 

Innovative undefined style. Here an almost literally cutting edge design (the geometric forms suggest blades) by Andy Sturgeon at Chelsea uses only one showy plant; the canary island folxglove which perfectly echoes the flames of a decorative flame nearby.

Perfectly combined colours in cottage garden planting. Chosen from irises, roses, foxgloves, grannys' bonnets, ragged robins, bistorts, flaxes, oralayas and dames' violets.

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Shaped plants can also set a tone in a garden. Large yew obelisks or crenellated hedge tops suggest formality and grandeur or as here a box ram and ewe nestling in the shelter of another hedge are just a bit of fun.

Green comes in a myriad shades and is often cited as the colour condusive to tranquillity. Flowers can be superfluous.Helped by some classically inspired stone elements, this all green garden is satisfying, comprised almost entirely of  just one plant: trimmed box. At Ilford Manor’s Harold Peto garden.

This Chelsea Flower Show herb garden in a courtyard context by specialist herb grower Jekka McVicar, with a circular central motif focuses attention  on the water fountain with a scented coloured  carpet  of thymes.

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