All ready for a new planting of roses – Iceberg all – later this autumn. The bed is a little shaded both by the aspect and the overhanging ornamental cherry tree and the client is a fan of the near-perpetually blooming floribunda. If it is good enough for the American Ambassador’s residence in Regent’s park – where it is the only rose in the rose garden – it’s good enough for me!
The trellis has evergreen jasmine, Trachelospermum jasminoides poised to create a uniform summer-scented backdrop to the new planting, unifying the teal-painted trellis and the higher wooden fencing above.
The three bays provide some height, formality and rhythm to the bed, continued elsewhere in the garden with clipped box and ligustrum in both symmetrical repeated patterns/planting and less formal, asymmetrical groupings. Looser ‘heads’ of standard European olives also punctuate the planting.
Back to the roses, I have Little White Pet and Tranquility elsewhere in the garden already and planted up two more, Boule de Neige, yesterday. Climbing over a large wrought iron pergola are two The Albrighton Rambers and I think I’ll be adding another larger flowered climber, for contrast. The Generous Gardener is a strong contender.
This Kew garden was planted up in the spring and is knitting together well so far but there is much hard landscaping to ‘retro-fit’ – paths and paving – to link the various areas together where currently, paving slabs are just resting on the bare earth. The work is likely to be quite intricate – generous but detailed – to slow down anyone passing through the garden so that the planting can be appreciated all the more. Well that’s for Stage 2.
The Teddington Gardener 