“Yvonne has been wonderful giving me advice about my small patio garden and how to get it to look its best. I really appreciate that she took an individual approach and saw the garden as unique to me. She was also very hands-on, doing pruning, devising a list of colour-schemed plants, and in addition giving me lots of growing tips and much-needed confidence.”
H, Hove
Every client has their own taste and opinion of what is visually pleasing and I always think that it is essential, when helping folk really connect with their own patches of earth, to make this top priority. Some people love a blaze of strong colours from all around the colour wheel to uplift their spirits. Others like a more restrained and refined pastel palette to give a restful and calming ambience. Others like colours to reflect the changing seasons and the emotions that come with them. Maybe Zen-like green and white calm for the winter, uplifting blue and yellow for spring, contented purple and pink for summer then fiery yellow, red and orange for the autumn. All these options are perfectly valid choices – whatever makes your soul sing!
This recent client loved the shabby chic look of the white walls in her small courtyard garden (as did I) and the predominance of evergreen foliage that was planted when the raised beds were created several years ago. The problem was, as is often the case, that fear and trepidation set in at the prospect of cutting things back and doing the ‘wrong thing’ – maybe even inadvertently killing something! So the lovely shrubs and herbs had romped away, fighting it out amongst themselves.
I simply reassured her that some mediterranean plants naturally have a limited life and it is easier to look after plants in soil rather than pots. Cutting rampant vegetation back can create space for plants to breathe and allow the addition of a few more spectacular plants to bring some seasonal zing to her raised beds. We identified a few spots where arty focal points could be added – above the bench for instance – and settled on a simple colour scheme of white and purple flowers.
So I suggested a list of 19 plants – night-scented annuals, deep purple flowering bulbs for the summer, a few perennials that will bring flowers all-year-round with interesting foliage textures and striking shrubs for key positions to bring strong structure. The choices are up to my client who, after some initial help from me, is now busy getting her courtyard gorgeous for the next few years! I can’t wait to see what she chooses and of course am on hand for any further advice.
If you would like some suggestions about how to inject some gorgeous colour into your garden please don’t hesitate to get in touch! I love teasing out what will make your garden zing just for you. You can email me directly at yjmcd@btinternet.com or schedule your initial consultation with me here.