Seasonal Themes

Ringing the changes in a small garden

What I enjoy about having such a diminutive front garden is that I can create fresh impact fairly easily, and at the same time, celebrate each season. I find this approach makes gardening more interesting for me and gives passers-by something new to look at. In fact, it’s one of the aspects of my front garden people seem to enjoy – that it’s an ever-evolving, work in progress.

You can change your front garden as much or as little as you like. If you don’t want to spend too much time or money on it, then strategic planting with evergreens works well – then you can simply add the odd pot of seasonal flowers or window box to vary its mood and appearance.

I have a small flower bed behind the front wall in which I have a few perennials and a couple of shrubs, just to give the bed a bit of a framework. For instance, I have two deciduous Cotinus (aka smoke bushes), known for their beautiful, richly coloured leaves (I love Royal Purple because it matches the deep maroon shade of the front door and gate, which is Farrow & Ball in Brinjal if you’re asking). These ‘shrubs’ can turn into trees if you don’t prune them hard and shape them to suit, but mine seem to respond well to being cut back in late winter or very early spring. 

I also have a perennial salvia that is bushy with bright blue flowers, which lasted right up to the first frosts last year. Just be aware that some salvias can grow very tall, very quickly. I once planted a salvia Amistad but it leapt to about six feet in height - too big so I had to dig it up. I’ve also found Liriope muscari (sometimes called lily turf) is a good filler. Its arching, grass-like green leaves give year-long interest and their spikes of flowers that appear in late summer, are a bonus.

NB: All parts of tulips, hyacinths, narcissi and primulas are toxic to dogs and cats (particularly the bulbs) as are many annuals and perennials. Check before you buy so you can plant strategically and with diligence.

Springtime - Go Bold

Spring is the time when bulbs, planted in the autumn, come into their own. I adore tulips in all showy shapes and sizes, so they feature big-time in my spring garden, so much so, I’ve put a separate tab called ‘Tulip Central’ on the home page. For instant spring colour, most garden centres and markets are packed with primulas, hyacinths and potted narcissi, which offer splashes of vibrancy wherever you place them. After the drabness of winter, I think colour is a real mood-booster, so I forego all ideas of stylish monochromaticity and just paint my front garden with a palette worthy of Pop Art.

Summer – Go Lush

Once the bulbs have done their ‘springsational’ stuff, it’s time to refresh the window boxes and pots. I tend to bring some potted perennials that I have in the back garden, out to the front and then treat myself to annuals that I can cram into containers. With summer foliage so green and healthy, I like to add to that feeling of jungly lushness with flowers that trail and spill. I also prefer to stick to a single colour, albeit in various hues, so for instance, if I opt for purple, that also embraces blues, mauves, maroons and perhaps, dots of white. The biggest tip of all, though, is when most people tell me I have green fingers when they see everything blooming so profusely, I reply that I don’t, I’m just disciplined when it comes to watering. Plants need water, particularly when they are in pots and especially when the weather is warm. Don’t let them go thirsty.

Autumn – Go Clashy

It’s easy to assume that at the garden centre in autumn, flowers will be thin on the ground but I quite like the challenge of finding and creating something cheerful. I also like to reflect the leaves changing colour and embrace the spirit of Halloween, which means concentrating on orange and juxtaposing that with plants that are firework bright. Last time, because I already had a Calamondin (a shrub which bears little orange fruits) and my shocking pink Mandevilla from summer was still flowering, I picked a citrus and raspberry theme. The showstopper was the new Rudbeckia Fireball, which was an explosion of tangerine petals. I find if you pick a colour scheme before you go plant shopping, it allows you to hone in on your mission and not get distracted by anything and everything. Honestly, it’s a tip that makes garden retail therapy all the more satisfying.

Winter – Go Crisp

Granted, there aren’t heaps for options for winter, but providing you have some evergreens, you can totally rely on good old hellebores and winter pansies that courageously hold their heads up when the weather is chilly and so much in the garden has gone into hiding. The hellebores, with their sweet nodding heads in white, green, pink or ruby, and their shiny, leathery leaves, certainly cut a dash. Last winter, I planted up the window boxes with white ones (I usually go ruby to match the front door but fancied an icy change) and paired them with mini Lemon Cypress trees that leant the boxes some architectural shape. This is also the time to make the most of a door wreath, and as I’d gone white in the garden, I went cool on the door wreath. I don’t think wreaths are just for Christmas though, and I’ll be uploading a post soon on ideas for year round door decoration.