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Ann has been interested in plants as long as she can remember. Her love of nature was influenced by walks with her father and grandfather collecting wild flowers and birds eggs. She won a prize for a pressed flower collection she made for a school project in her early years. Her parents both enjoyed flowers, her Dad would grow dahlias, roses and chrysanthemums at his allotment and bring them home for her Mam. During her early childhood her mother grew as many flowers as she could in a small back garden and greenhouse, and she has been Ann’s biggest influence.
Ann’s interest in gardening really took off when she got her own house and garden in 1993. The existing garden, which is approximately 30 feet square, consisted of puny rose bushes, gladioli and red tulips in a line. It had very narrow borders and a tiny pond. Ann cleared out practically everything in the garden the first weekend after she moved in.
The goal Ann set herself was to use every available inch of space and to have something in flower every day of the year. She plants in layers using bulbs, perennials, shrubs and climbers to maximize the limited space she has. If a plant isn’t working she will take it out and replace it with something more worthy. The garden has 3 trees, Acer griseum, a “Paul’s Scarlet” hawthorn and Prunus serrula. The main shrubs in the garden are several large camellias which Ann inherited from her mother who bought them as small plants and grew them in pots. They were her favorite plants. The other shrubs in the garden include several variegated yews, mahonias, English roses, and hollies. Ann also cultivates as many scented winter flowering shrubs as she can and loves her wintersweet, daphnes, honeysuckle and viburnum.
Most of the 560 or so plants in Ann’s garden are perennials and bulbs. There are fairly large collections of geraniums (13), hellebores (13), pulmonaria (9), primula (28), campanula, roses (12), clematis (15), erythronium, eryngium, euphorbia, and trillium (16). Most have been obtained from specialist nurseries and the bulbs in particular by mail order. She has 19 different galanthus, 16 iris, 11 anemone, 19 lilies, 19 narcissi and 23 crocus.
“I like the seasonal plantings like hellebores, galanthus, pulmonaria and crocus. Also lilies, astrantia, campanula and phlox look well together. The east and south borders have evolved into colour themes - blues, yellow and white in the east and in the south warmer colours - orange and red.”
Her favorite plants are snowdrops, trilliums, lilies, pulmonaria, hellebores and daphne and she has a particular affection for smaller bulbs like fritillaries, iris and anemones.
One of the garden’s special features is the raised beds which Ann uses to grow lots of small bulbs and alpine plants. They are one of her favorite features in the garden, along with the trees and the pond.
The garden is completely organic, Ann doesn’t use any pesticides or chemicals as she tries to encourage wildlife as much as possible. She feeds the birds daily and loves the frogs, toads and newts in her pond.
For the coming season Ann looks forward to having her recently acquired obelisks covered in clematis and annual climbers. She wants to have more clematis, and also plans to build a new patio. She finds pots too difficult to keep watered so doesn’t have many, but she does enjoy a seasonal potted arrangement outside her door.
Ann says her tastes change all the time, “I become interested or enamoured of plants that a couple of years ago I wouldn't have entertained - grasses spring to mind!”.
As you can see from the accompanying photographs, Ann has created a wonderful garden in 10 years of which she can be justly proud.
Thank you Ann for sharing your beautiful garden with us. Please view Ann's Bonus Photos
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| Written by Kniphofia |
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