Wisley

RHS Wisley

From 2009-10-19

A dreary day with some drizzle greeted me at RHS Wisely which is just off the M25 south of London. Amazingly the car park was half full. School visits and elderly groups making the most of the Autumn fair.

Wisley has its great formal herbaceous borders edging the large formal pool, maybe that should be mini lake(!). Almost gone over after an early frost last week but still some good colours to be had and bulky plantings full of penstemon, dahlia, geranium, verbenas, agapanthus, canna, helichrysum over the structure of the evergreen hedging behind.

My main focus was to head down to the Oudoulf borders beside the Glasshouse. And, although dead they were stunning. The Fagus sylatica, Hakonechloa macra and Sarcoccoca confusa beds were looking wonderful after a drizzle of rain to gloss them up, even minus the fat white alliums of summer, they remain my favorite planting in Wisely.

The huge arch of grasses, Eupatorium, Euphorbia etc that enclose the lake in front of the glass house showed off how well the collapsed death state can be if done considerately. But no doubt a bold gardener is required to bear this state of decay for very long.

Pleasantly surprised by a few of the Acers doted here and there and the overall hue of golden bronzes and purple reds.

Planting planning

D said very early on no knowledge of plants in required for this course, it is not about horticulture and I begin to see how on could be a garden designer and Not know a thing about plants.

The basic principles are that there a 5 plant sizes represented in circles (to scale) 2m down to 300mm, trees are shown as a black cross but assumed to be 5m+ canopy, climbers shown in solid triangles and bulbs as shade over an area... the central point, tip or cross marks the planting spot. These shapes are laid out pleasingly in the sketch plan and same species/cultivar circles are grouped with a linking line. This is still a theoretical plan as no plants are actually assigned yet, it is still in the space design level of the process.

From 2009_11_10

Actual plant combos can the be 'copied' from successful designers and books such as the RHS Planting Combinations by Tony Lordor Piet Oudolf - Designing with plants

Remarkably simple and no doubt efficient in reality if a little uninspiring for the plant-aholics in the group.

Waterperry Gardens, Oxfordshire

After a minor panic about the soft landscape portfolio images for Autumn I rearranged my schedule on the weekend to visit Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire.

From 2009-10-10

Recommended for it's borders by CH, wife of Principal D, in her 'Garden of the Month'.

Weather was mixed but thankfully good enough for some dead images certs for the folio. Bumped into at least 2 fellow students, SE and her gorgeous family, TR and saw from a distance NC. We were all out to make the most of our last few autumnal weekends.

The herbaceous borders are all but done although the gone over Eupatorium pupurea and Solidago's were looking as good deceased as they would have full of life set off by the somewhat lively Wisteria which was looking remarkably verdant for this time of year. The simple scale of the borders and plantings was very satisfying.

Rounding a corner or two the grasses (Miscanthus malepartus and Carex ???) alongside Sedum 'Autumn Joy' and Phlomis saria looked equally striking and offered good views back across the aster filled herbaceous borders.

An interesting if odd mix of combinations and as an autumn garden certainly well worth the 90 min trip.

Oh and 2 people go free on and RHS card :)