Remember how overexcited I got a few months ago when I found the super-simple but fabulously high-impact spring flowerbeds at Caversham Court? Well, it turns out that the gardeners at this place have a few summer tricks up their sleeves as well…
This bank has been planted up with lovely sun-loving, drought-loving perennials. The gardeners have stuck to only six different plants, and have repeated them over and over again in drifting lines. They could have crowded the space with all sorts of plants of all sorts of heights, but instead they have chosen to weave a pattern on the bank that pulls you up short.
In this planting scheme there are only two basic colour groups: blues and yellows. Each plant provides a variation of one of those colour groups, which are complementary colours with one another and create a warm, sharp contrasting pattern.
The extra-clever part of all this is that the wavy, drifty design is bordered by a smart brick wall and is next to a lawn divided by geometric stone patterns. So the whole bank is neatly contained. Oh, and here’s something else that entertained me while I was wandering around Caversham Court:
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Chuck Keeler
Please tell me the name of the 6 plants used in the pictures from Caversham Courts . I like to try this idea here in Shawnee Oklahoma —thanks Chuck
Mara
Yes, what are the 6 plants, lavender and?
Katrina Mitchell
Lavender, fennel, and ___?
Thanx!
Pat Odell
What are the six plants?
Thank you
F&F
Afraid it was a while ago, so I can’t provide a thorough ID, but it included lavender, santolina and salvia. Sorry I can’t help further.
Laurie
Another blue plant is Hyssopus officianalis, as seen in photos 3,5 and 7. It is a woody stemmed perennial with a round shrub form, here in zone 5. It reseeds but is not too invasive. One of my favorites for continuous color.
Susan Rickman
From the Friends of Caversham Court website: http://home.fccg.org.uk/visiting-caversham-court
The Lavender Bank is in full bloom and you can see Lavendula ‘Hidcote’, blue flowered hyssop, dwarf purple berberis, grey/green-leafed Ballota pseudodictamnus and several different types of Santolina Cotton Lavender.
In the east herbaceous border, the giant grey leaved plant at the back is Maclaya cordata. The other giants of that border are the tall and very scented lilies called ‘African Queen’.