Samantha Willis Garden Design

Samantha Willis Garden Design

How Do I Find A Garden Designer

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A Herbaceous Border

How Do I Find A Garden Designer

Spring is nearly here and warmer days are approaching. With warmer days comes the desire to be outside in the garden.
If you’ve just moved into a new build house you are probably looking at a lawn and a fence or wall.

The lawn may seem a little daunting where do you start to create a garden. To a garden designer it’s a blank canvas, an opportunity to help you get the garden you want.

How Do You Find A Garden Designer

Look at their website, do you like their images.
Garden Designers all have styles whether is it a small courtyard garden or large country garden we have our stamp.
Have an informal meeting, do you like the designer? It is a partnership to achieve your garden.
Ask about the pricing structure of the garden designer
In some cases you may need a Landscaper not garden designer
Also some landscapers will deliver design services.

Look for a designer with history, with awards.

The Society of Garden designers can help you find a designer or the association of professional landscapers.Society of Garden Designers

I’m a garden designer in Deddington and work in the surounding areas; Adderbury, Bicester, Banbury, Chipping Norton, Woodstock and more.

If you’re looking for a garden designer in Oxfordshire please call. Contact 0771 858 6105 and lets create your garden to enjoy this summer.

Plant of the Month

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Plants for Shade Garden

Plant of the Month

If your looking for garden inspiration try the Hellebore lenten. Aptly named the Lenten Rose as they flower round Easter time.
Now don’t go out and buy the Helleborus niger as that one actually flowers around Christmas time and if you were given one at Christmas go and plant it. It will be happy in the garden.

The Helleborus foetidus is one that is perfect for a woodland garden but pay attention to its name. It is not called foetidus because it smells gorgeous, it actually means ‘bad-smelling’. Some say the smell is a cabbage like smell, maybe not what you want close to your house.

Helleborus lenten
If you have a shady corner or semi shade this is the perfect location for your Hellebores. They come in all colours from white, pink to deep burgundy.
They are great for the pollinators as there are so few flowering plants at this time of year and as they are rich in nectar they are good for hungry bees.

You will find them in most nurseries near you and if not try Crocus

If you would ike some help with your border design in Oxfordshire please contact us.

Winter Colour

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Plants for Shade Garden

Colour in the Garden

The Hellebores are great little flowers that are often hidden by their leaves and their drooping flowers.  Look underneath and you find this wonderful flower from the white Christmas Rose Helleborus niger to the deep dark Helleborus x hybridus ‘Blue Lady’.  The Christmas Rose flowers around Christmas time and then you can have flowers right through to March/April.

These plants are easy to look after and grow well in shady conditions.  Ideally plant the paler flowers in the shadier spots to light up the darker corners.  The darker flowers need to be seen and they won’t be stuck in a shady corner, so semi shade for them.

Another great little winter plant is the Cyclamen hederifolium, these hardy plants make lovely swathes of colour.  If you plant them in semi-shade in a humus rich location that will not dry out in the summer they will thrive.  I tend to plant mine underneath Cornus or Hydrangeas where they will get the shade in the summer to protect them.

If you’re wanting something a little more blousy and in your face the Bergenia cordifolia or Elephants Ears.  This plant has wavy leaves that are about 30cms long with stems of 60cms with sprays of  pink flowers.  They are again an easy plant to grow and unlike the two above enjoy sunshine or semi shade.  There are many varities, if you prefer white flowers Bergenia ‘Bressingham White‘ or purple leaves try B. cordifolia ‘Purpurea

Or a Bergenia that many plantsmen rate is the one raised by Eric Smith of ‘The Plantsmen’.

“Undoubtedly the best for winter effect; large, rounded, crinkled leaves have polished bronze-tinted surfaces while backs, caught in low sunlight, glow rich carmine-red. 46 cm.” BethChatto.co.uk

 

Statues in Garden Design

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David Harber Obelisk

Statues in Garden Design

I first really started admiring garden statues at Cothay Manor where a magnificent stag lords over the wildflower meadow. Statues in Garden design can focus the eye, enlighten a dull corner and enhance a garden.

David Harber and his team demonstrated their skill at designing and positioning statues at their show at Eaton Square where the Torus shone out in the simple design of lawn and trees adding a harmony where the shadows of the trees were brought down to our eye level. The Chalice pool, with it’s slow rotating water was soothing in the courtyard area.  At the end of a hot day, dangling your fingers in felt refreshing and relaxing.

The bronze Quill was a really cleaver, illuminating the garden from it’s rather dark corner. I watched a number of people go up to look for the lighting but whilst it was gleaming in  the evening light there was no electricity. The Obelisk was an absolute treat as it was placed in the shady area and was so cleverly situated as at times it was almost lost.  It brought light and joy to a dark area.

Snowdrop Garden Cheltenham

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Spring Flowering Bulbs

Snowdrop Season

I always enjoy Snowdrops in the garden.

Early blooms in the garden add joy to the dark winter months

Did you know snowdrop collectors are called Galanthopiles, taking the name of the snowdrop “Galanthus” meaning milk white flowers.
If you want to see one of the best snowdrop collections I recommend Colesbourne Gardens
near Cheltehenham. You can wander round the grounds and see swathes of snowdrops on the banks. Or for the keener Galanthopile see the collections closer to the house.

This is a garden to enjoy the snowdrops whether en masses or right up close.

When planning a garden these small winter bulbs can be forgotten but it is all year round interest that is exciting, what will be coming out and when if your looking for a Garden Designer please fee free to contact me for a chat.

Malvern Show 2013 – Something for Everyone

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Joe Swift and Mark Diacono entertained us enormously in the Good Life Pavilion;  in just 25 minutes Joe Swift showed us how to transform a  rectangular garden into a lovely garden design,  meanwhile Mark created cocktails using equal amounts of something flat and something fizzy, strawberries and a little grinding of the seed from the Schezuan bush.  We all had a nibble of the seed and it had us all laughing as our tongues went numb and then exploded into a tingling sensation.  My children rushed off to purchase the Stevia herb that was dropped into the cocktail as the leaves taste of sugar, ideal for adding sweetener to cocktails or a pudding, the low fat alternative to sugar.

Little packets seeds of all kinds were there to tempt children and adults.  Pennard Plants packets had lovely illustrations perfect for little presents.

Strolling away from the pavilion we hit the largest vegetables I’ve ever seen, onions the size of dinner plates, cabbages, marrows, leeks etc..  James and the Giant peach came alive at this moment.

The autumn is always stimulating and walking around seeing so much blazing colour is as tempting to me as a sweet shop is to children.  I walked away with my 20 plug plants from Chyrsanthemum direct, a vibrant collection of lime green ‘Green Mist’,   reds ‘Quinty’ and ‘Misty Red’ and orange ‘Lexy’. Whilst I have always thought of Chysanthemums as an old ladies plant or a hospital bouquet this has changed over the years and I must confess I rather enjoy the blousy rush of colour that these plants give us in the autumn.

So inspired from the fabulous show I’m now off to plant my sweet peas, onions sets and garlic bulbs.  My chrysanthemums I’ll pot up and nurture this winter and although they may not be quote as big and bold as the vegetables we saw they should bring me a vibrant autumn bouquet next year.

A quick & easy Christmas table decoration

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As a little preparation for Christmas, go out and buy the Narcissi ‘Paper White’, a multi head narcissi with a delicious scent, and plant then up in a pretty pot and place in a dark area 8-10 weeks you should have a beautiful table decoration.

Sarah Raven sprays some twigs with silver and places these between them for support which will give you an added festive look.

Have children? Make the most of leaves!

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The leaves are turning and soon the winds will be pulling them off the trees, so why not take advantage of this and get the children outdoors and collect as many different types of leaves as possible.  You can then use them for a variety of pictures:-

  1. Simply gluing and sticking the leaves paper, willow leaves make great rabbits ears and oak leaves make reindeer antlers.
  1. Alternatively get some wavy crayons and place the leaves underneath the paper and rub over them, we’ve made some great sea scenes with field maple being coral and different shapes leaves being different fish.

The Allotment in Winter

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As we prepare for warm winter evenings in front of the fire there are just a few jobs you could do to on those lovely clear winter days.

  • In anticipation of frosts and winds, cover your root vegetables with straw or cardboard up to 30cms, to enable you to dig the ground when you want your vegetables. Also stake your sprouts and earth up your cabbages to prevent wind rock.  If we have a hard frost coming you can protect your cauliflowers by wrapping a few of the outer leaves around them.
  • Plant garlic anytime before Christmas in well drained soil; do not plant on freshly manure sites as the garlic is prone to rot.  There are varieties of onions that you can plant now which can be harvested in June.
  • Take hard wood cuttings of currants and gooseberries and indeed any other shrubs.
  • Protect any pots by wrapping them with bubble wrap and then if you think that is not aesthetically beautiful enough add a little hessian to the outside.
  • If you have existing apple and pear trees it is time to get out and prune them. You’re aiming for an open goblet shape, so remove any crossing branches, damaged and horizontal branches and prune to an outward facing bud. Do not prune your soft fruit trees at this time of year as you can damage them.  Also leave trained apple and pear trees alone such as espaliers as these require summer pruning.
  • If you want Rhubarb now is the time to plant it, you may be lucky and get a crown off a neighbour.  When you’re planting Rhubarb dig in a lot of manure around the crown and let the crown peek out and see the light it does not appreciate being buried.
  • Cut leaves from the crowns of kale to encourage side shoots for harvesting in late winter

About

My love for gardening started with my Nan where she nurtured her Cornish garden often rising at 5 to set to before the heat of the summer… MORE

How does it work?

My practice is based in Oxford. I work with small professional teams to develop everything from the tiniest urban hideaway to large country gardens... MORE

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I’d love to hear about your upcoming project. Give me a call today on 0771 858 6105 or contact me via this website.

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