Journal

I spent three days training with one of the country’s most talented garden designers at his home, Allt y Bela, a stunning location near Usk.

Two inspirational gardens to visit, The Barn in Hertfordshire and Broughton Grange in Oxfordshire, both designed by Tom Stuart-Smith. Here are some highlights of my visit.

Highlights from the Chelsea Flower Show 2014. Some great ideas from three worthy gold medal winning gardens.

A garden can change dramatically in winter, as the perennial layers die down and leaves have fallen from trees and shrubs. It is less about colour and more about shadows, shapes and silhouettes. A time to appreciate the naked beauty of skeletal silhouettes of Phlomis, Eryngium, architectural seedheads of Allium, poppy, and sculptural grasses for example.

Pictures of the garden build process for the ‘Return to the Med’ garden, for the Malvern Spring Show 2013.

Our first show garden, the ‘Return to the Med’, is awarded a Silver Gilt from the RHS at the Malvern Spring Show 2013. The public reaction has been amazing…

Pictures of the ‘Return to the Med’ show garden, from the Malvern Spring Show May 2013.

‘Return to the Med’ show garden at the Malvern Spring Show, a summary of this month’s activities…

'Return to the Med’ show garden at the Malvern Spring Show, a summary of this month’s activities…

‘Return to the Med’ show garden for the Malvern spring show, the journey continues…

It’s been a very busy month. Most of the time has been spent sourcing the hard landscaping materials, in particular the polished pebbles for the cobbled path.

As a nation we are proud of our homes, and spend a fair amount of time and money on DIY. But of all the rooms in the house it is the biggest, most interesting and versatile one which is often thought about last and in some cases not at all. We are talking about the garden or the “Outdoor room”.

We received confirmation that we will be doing a show garden at next year’s Malvern Spring show, May 9th – 12th. Our design, ‘Return to the Med’ will feature as one of the show gardens.