What with the Foxgoves (spelling mistake intentional!) now gone to seed, and all the burnished Bremainia, we can’t believe it’s already July and we haven’t written a post for 3 months. But what a fantastic 3 months it has been! We have been rushed off our muddy feet designing some wonderful gardens, and instant makeovers.

Where to start – perhaps the ‘Shades of Yellow’ 60 metre entrance designed for a school in Tottenham. Filled with a gamut of wonderful shrubs, small trees and peppered with the odd herbaceous perennial, we transformed the derelict space into an oasis of yellows, copper, lime greens, chocolates, burnished orange – and all the hues in-between. From Tilia Winter Orange and Albizia Summer Chocolates to Heuchera Sweet Teas and Clematis Tangutica Golden Harvest, the space is now enjoyed by the local community and teachers sitting sharing their lunch.

Then there was the pop up beach we designed for a local health centre. Add stones, vintage deckchairs, all that’s needed is a refreshing cuppa from the home-grown fennel, chamomile and lemon verbena bed!

We enjoy very much creating wooky pathways, and have incorporated a number of really interesting hardscapes into our designs. Do remember that a pathway is not simply a space left between plants but can be a magical area of stepping stones, a hopscotch game, a bridge over a pop up pond, a clearing between drifts of grass… More news on this in September when we review several interesting show gardens.

We have created a number of instant garden makeovers this season and really love seeing the joy it brings folks. Our plan: In the first morning we arrive to an overgrown garden; by the afternoon a whole new canvas is revealed with shaped beds and areas for planting, sculptured trees and shrubs, and most importantly – empty spaces, for the mind to imagine…

A second morning a week later, we return, our arms over-spilling with an agreed palette of colour, shape and seasonality, and plant up the garden. By late afternoon, all that’s left to do is to sit in the garden with a G&T…

Whereas last year was very much the year of purple design, this season it’s all about hot colours and we are lovin’ it. We have had a number of briefs to design tropical gardens – and have done so whilst sticking to our remit of being butterfly/bee and edible landscaping gardeners, using a gamut of wildlife friendly plants. Who says rhubarb and rainbow chard mixed in with hostas and angelicas can’t look exotic!?

Over the last couple of months we have also designed gardens to incorporate sculpture as part of the design, and very much agree with Sarah Prices’ ethos of taking inspiration for garden design from the arts…  More news soon.

Wooden structures and pergolas are something also close to our heart. We are designing a pergola garden at the moment. A pergola is a great way of creating shade in summer and extending the season in the autumn. But do forget about buying one off the shelf – there’s lots of lovely local, reclaimed wood around.

Enjoy the season, enjoy your outdoor space – however big or small, and do grow runner beans up on your doorstep!