From VIRTUAL to REALITY (BLOG)

[Kyle]

Okay, I've had a thorough look into the planting for the front garden and think I've come up with a selection I'm happy with. There's nothing here that I think will be too taxing. Hardiness wise, everything is pretty reliable. The Farfugium and Blechnum may die back during harsh winters, but should regrow.

I've decided to cram an extra row of plants in the left hand border (A to C). This will simply be a line of plain green Fatshedera trained against a mesh screen above the featheredge fence. The Pseudosasa japonica will then dominate the border with a rhizome barrier protecting a strip of ground for the Farfugium japonicum argenteum to trail over the raised wall.

Ultimately, I don't want the finished front garden to require much in the way of regular maintenance. The borders will be raised from their current positions and are encased in retaining walls. It should be straightforward enough to fill these will compost mixes particularly suited to each plant's needs.

I'm going to look at mocking up a visual walkthrough as Trudy suggests before I do commit to these choices.

[Trudytropics]

Lovely choices Kyle, I have a few of these, should pretty much take care of its self, apart from watering now and again, unless you are incorporating irrigation into the planters.

Looking forward to the progress on this, a much easier task with quicker results that your back garden .

[Kyle]

Which ones are you growing, Trudy?

I hadn't considered an irrigation system in the front garden, but now that you mention it . . .

I also looked into your Bay tree suggestion for the (J) border which did appeal to me. It was the slow rate of growth and high cost of large plants that made me choose the bamboo.

I already have a Yushania maculata growing out back and am looking at taking some divisions later this year for this area.

[Arlon Tishmarsh]

Keep it as maintenance free as poss, Kyle. I hate doing the garden out the front even tho its only about 100ft x 30ft. Previous owner filled it with all sorts of shrubs, flowers, 3 big lime tree's that have to be cut back every year, conifers etc etc. Just don't like doing the front for some reason, perhaps people don't appreciate my mankini

[Trudytropics]

I have Brunnera 'Jack Frost', Fatsia Japonica, Fatsia Japonica Variegata and Pseudosasa Japonica, the easiet ones to get I have to say the little Brunnera is amongst my favourite plants, lovey little thing, I was nipping out its flowers yesterday and admiring the leaves on it.

Bay trees are slow growing, the standards I have (2 with spiral trunk and one with vey tall trunk) don't grow. I got the spiral ones nearly 7 years ago and the trunks have not really changed, but they do throw out lots of new foliage every year so get get regular haircuts.

Keep us posted Kyle on your progress

[Kyle]

Garderners' World Live 2012 Stash

Just got back from GW 2012 and managed to get a few plants I've been after. It's been quite an hectic day. We took our little girl and she was playing up big time (bah, bah, bah!!!!), so it feels like I barely got a chance to look around. Biggest catch of the day was a 15L Lophosoria quadripinnata. Strangely, many of the fern stands looked blankly when asked about this one. Anyway, the chap at Bentley Ferns gave me a knowing grin and pulled one out from his secret stash beneath the stand.

Most of the plants I got were either Ferns or Ivies - Hedera's a vastly unappreciated genus thanks to the common invasive rogues, but there are some absolute well behaved beauties. I'll upload a few images of some of the display ivies.

Adiantum venustum
Baloskion tetraphyllum
Beesia calthifolia
Coniogramme japonica 'Flavomaculata'
Dryopteris sieboldii
Equisetum hyemale
Hedera algeriensis 'Margino Maculata'
Hedera helix 'Angularis Aurea'
Hedera helix 'Calico'
Hedera helix 'Clotted Cream'
Hedera helix 'Frederick'
Hedera helix 'Maple Leaf'
Hedera helix 'Tripod'
Lophosoria quadripinnata
Polystichum munitum
Woodwardia radicans
Woodwardia unigemmata

[Clive60]

That's a nice haul Kyle.
Slightly off topic but I hope if you get a Fatsia Jap Var that it stays variegated, I bought this one in March from wyevale as there were loads but now after losing the first couple of new leaves to late frosts it has now produced it's first new large leaves and they are all green, no variegation. I don't know whether this is a one off or it happens a lot, anyone else had this?

[Kyle]

That's a nice haul Kyle.
Slightly off topic but I hope if you get a Fatsia Jap Var that it stays variegated, I bought this one in March from wyevale as there were loads but now after losing the first couple of new leaves to late frosts it has now produced it's first new large leaves and they are all green, no variegation. I don't know whether this is a one off or it happens a lot, anyone else had this?

I've got 9 white variegated Fatsia's and none of the new leaves they're producing are showing the same levels of white as last year's. I don't have any pure green leaves on them though. It's been such a poor year for sun so far and I wonder how much of an effect that has. Some of the US images on Google show massive degrees of variegation, even pure white leaves!

[Mr List]

bentleferns looks the best place to get one online too, thanks for bringing that to my attention.

the website has them at £45, how much was yours?

[Kyle]

bentleferns looks the best place to get one online too, thanks for bringing that to my attention.

the website has them at £45, how much was yours?

He sold it for £35 which I thought was pretty good for 15L.

[Mr List]

absolute steal

[Kyle]

New Zone 1 & 2 Design

With all this rain I'm finding it nigh on impossible to get out in the garden to do much. All there is to report on the landscaping is the erection of a boundary fence and the clearing of the land for the Ricinus Jungle. It's all been very hard work and incredibly unrewarding. So not quite the lush visual treats that most blogs are putting up.
Theres plenty of this landscaping stuff now uploaded to my new Facebook Garden Blog - a.k.a. Arctic Jungle.

With all the rain I've once again turned the itchy fingers to another design to link the original garden to Zone 2. I'd uploaded a Zone 2 design in my blog earlier in the year if anyone remembers? Although I was fairly happy with that, it did feel like a separate enclosed garden and what I ultimately want is something that flows much more naturally and will lead to the area beyond without totally ruining what I'd done in the 3D walkthroughs.

The big change is that the lower patio will now extend into a crossroads feature. South will lead over a bridge to the hot-tub house (now repositioned much further back). East will lead up a few stairs to a square decked area with benches. This is the site of the original filterhouse and the decking will conceal the filter system beneath. Westerly of the crossroads will lead down more stairs to where I'm planning a two storey entertainment area. The idea here is that during garden parties, food spreads can be laid out beneath and the seating area will be above. Still very early with this, but it should feel like your dining in the treetops as the remainder of the garden drops steeply downwards.

Ultimately Zone 2 is now predominantly one continuous border with pre-cast hexagonal stepping stones (1.2m diameter) placed on steel supports. The goal is dense jungle planting that the stepping stones vanish into. This will entice visitors to venture into the vegatation and give a more interactive experience.

Original Zone 1 Plan

Design linking Zones 1 & 2

Here's a quick pre-vis shot looking southwards down the extended lower patio. Planting is nowhere near decided so just bear with me on that. As a stream/soakaway will snake down here, I will be aiming for lots of large leaved moisture lovers such as Petasites, Gunnera, Darmera, Rheum etc. As these all die down for the winter the remainder will be evergreens and likely consist of reliably hardy Ferns and Palms.



It might not seem like it, but a lot is happening on the plant front. So much so that I'm struggling to accommodate all the pots. There's hundreds of palms already and god knows how many more sprouting in the germinator. I've also put a lot of effort into collecting ferns this spring. Loads of other stuff is growing from seed - plenty of Yucca's, Banana's, Strelitzia's, Arisaema's. All the pot bought stuff is building up so I can divide next year and beyond.

And one benefit of all this rain - the planted bamboo's have put on a major growth spurt.

[Yorkshire Kris]

Kyle it's all looking very good but I bet you're getting very frustrated with the weather. So many ideas, the land to create them but not enough time to get them done! Getting the plants started was a good idea as they can have time to grow and bulk up ready to be planted when the garden is ready for them.

I like the stepping stone idea to invite people to explore the jungly parts of the garden. Have you set a list of clear objectives that you want to achieve before Xmas and the likelihood that these can be done? Working to small goals should make the whole process less daunting and give mini victories which will be needed if this weather carries on.

[Kyle]

Kyle it's all looking very good but I bet you're getting very frustrated with the weather. So many ideas, the land to create them but not enough time to get them done! Getting the plants started was a good idea as they can have time to grow and bulk up ready to be planted when the garden is ready for them.

I like the stepping stone idea to invite people to explore the jungly parts of the garden. Have you set a list of clear objectives that you want to achieve before Xmas and the likelihood that these can be done? Working to small goals should make the whole process less daunting and give mini victories which will be needed if this weather carries on.

Cheers Kris. Frustrated doesn't begin to describe it. This year just feels like a lost year, like I've got all the bits of a jigsaw puzzle but no surface to start putting it together on.

Yes, it's great that all the plants are growing through all this madness. A lot of stuff that has been done is for the long term benefit to the garden, just not very exciting now. Cutting off access to all the land with a boundary wall has been the biggest landscaping goal. A (ahem) weed problem that needs nipping in the bud and lot's of stuff to hack down if you remember when you called over.
The driveway is next on the cards but the bloody weather has not let up. Once we get that done, a digger will finally be able to get around the back and then it'll be full steam ahead to get the whole of Zone 1 re-levelled and the pond dug out. That would be a nice target for the end of the year and would set us up nicely for getting the pond, walkways and buildings completed next year.

Having our little girl to look after has taken a lot of time away from the garden too. I'm Mr daycare and having to juggle any work that comes in around that too, so this year was never going to get very far TBH.

[Kristen]

If you are starting off plants [outside] to "bulk up" ready for planting in a year or two I think you will look back on this year as a godsend.

We have planted every year that we have been here (7th Summer), but the last two springs have been incredibly dry. Even though we irrigated we lost lots (10%, in some places 30%) of hedging plants and had to replant the following autumn - which I see as "costing" me a year.

This year the growth on everything is phenomenal by comparison. As humans we're pretty depressed, but the plants that are trying to get established are loving it. Some more heat during the Summer, with the soil remaining moist, it going to mean exceptional growth I reckon.