Country Homes & Interiors – September 2019

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CH&IlovesÉ

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Thesestriking,sculpturalplantsare

easytocareforandlookgood

overa longperiod.Formsinclude

creeping,mat-formingsedums,

bold,spinyagavesandaloes,and

aeoniumsthatlooklikesmalltrees,

withfleshyrosettes.Theystore

waterintheirleavessocancope

withlongperiodsofdroughtand

thriveingritty,well-drainedsoil

infullsun.Here’showtoget

themostfromthem...

• Makesureyourpotshavegood
  drainage.Dressthetopofthesoil
  withgrittokeeptheircollarsdry.


• Useshallowpotsforcreeping
  succulents:sempervivumsand
  sedumswillevengrowwellinthe
  holesofanairbrick.


• Hardysucculentslikesedums
  andsempervivumscanbesafely
  leftoutallyear,whereastender
  specieslikeaeoniums,echeverias
  andagavesneedtobebrought
  insideoverwinter.


• Grouplotsofa singletype
  togetherormixandmatchwitha
  varietyofshapeandcolour.


• Droplargespecimensof
  aeoniumsintobordersamong
  other plants for an exotic effect.

Dianthuscarthusianorum, delicateumbelslikefennelandwild

carrot,andgrassesincludingmoliniaandPennisetum macrourum;

clippedboxprovidesyear-roundstructure.

‘We’renottennisplayers,’admitsJeremy,thoughwhenthey

firstmovedinthetarmaccourtwasinvaluableforstoringallthe

gardenornamentsandplantsheandTrishhadbroughtwiththem

fromCornwall.Planningtomakea parkingareaforcarsatthelower

endofthecourt,hiddenfromthehousebythenaturalcontourof

thegarden,theylaida lineofbrickstoworkoutthecurveofthe

drive.‘Theaimwastodesigna newgardenoneachsideofthe

drivewaytocomplementtherestofthegardenandatthesame

timeallowustoplantina morecontemporarystyle,’saysTrish.

Bothsubsoilandtopsoilwerebroughtintocreatenewborders

anda moundthatrisestothesameheightastheoneinfrontof

thehouse,dividedbypathsintothreedistinctplantingareas:reds

andpurples;yellows,greensandwhites;pinks,silversandpurples.

‘IlovedplanningthisusingPinteresttomakeboardsforeachof

thethreecolour-themedsections,’saysTrish.Theouterperimeter

bedsareplantedwithbluesandwhites,suchaslong-flowering

GeraniumRozanne(‘Gerwat’),astersandgrassesincludingtall,

uprightCalamagrostisxacutiflora‘KarlFoerster’.Columnsof

Carpinusbetulus‘Fastigiata’punctuatetheborder,replacingthe

originalpencilcypressesthatfailedtothriveontheheavyclaysoil.

Existinghedgesprovidea strongbackdroptowhichTrishand

Jeremyaddeda lowhornbeamhedge,creatinglayersofinterest.

Plantingonthemoundis a subtlemixofgrasses,herbaceous

perennials, bulbs and shrubby trees including the purple-leaved

RedfloweredPersicaria

amplexicaulis‘Fat

Domino’,broad-leaved

sageandphlomis

cover the mound

120 COUNTRY HOMES & INTERIORS