THIS MONTH’S SHOWSTOPPERS
Introduce some SPRING ZING & ZEST
Layer plants for an intensity of colour to carry the fabulous display on, right into summer
There’s a point in late spring, as the garden teeters on the threshold of summer, when everything glows with new growth and limitless possibility. This planting at Gravetye Manor in Sussex under head gardener Tom Coward is brimful of that late-spring confidence, with its mix of two very different tulips; the tangerine peach of ‘Dordogne’ popping at the fore, as violet ‘Bleu Aimable’ recedes into the distance.
Equally arresting are the globes of euphorbia and angelica dressed in shades of spring-green that serve to break up the horizontal landscape and halt the eye from too quickly passing over.
The lushness of the scene comes from an intensive layering of plants that will carry the display on into summer and beyond, with bulbs and biennial forget-me-nots threaded among the still-to-flower perennials.
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These spring flowers deserve a strong backdrop of supporting foliage that brings variation in texture and movement. Looking ahead it’s also essential to track down a few carefully chosen late-flowering partners for intense colour through the summer and early autumn months.
HOW TO PLANT
The lushness of this planting speaks of a fertile soil that has been lavishly looked after.
