Planting Design

PLANTING DESIGN

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School playground: The Forest Academy, Harbourer road, Hainault, Essex.

Before
-There were two existing 'c' shaped flower beds, and one long thin one, all constructed from railway sleepers.
-One of the 'c' shaped flower beds has a canopy in the centre so picnic tables can be put under, so you can shelter from the sun or rain at break times.
-They have been left after construction, for a while so clearing them of weeding is need before planting can begin.
-The soil within the beds was imported to the site, so no soil improvement was necessary.

‘Playground Planting Plan'

Solution
My choice was to plant a mixed boarder, ranging from large evergreen shrubs to small low growing spreading shrubs to grasses. Giving year round interest, I’ve not chosen any perennial flowers for the reason of being easily damaged and more maintenance involved.
All of these plants are as low maintenance as possible to suit the school environment they have being planted in. They have also be chosen to tolerate some vandalism, to some extent. The aspect of the planting is very sunny so I have also taken this in to consideration.

Photinia x fraseri 'Red Robin'

The Cornus abla 'Sibirica Variegata' to your right is a deciduous shrub which produces lender red stems, turning an even brighter crimson during the winter. It also forms variegated foliage which turns red in autumn. These are the structural element of the flower beds, planted next to each other.

Here is a range of plants I chose: A large evergreen Photinia x fraseri 'Red Robin' to your left, which has red leaves that turn green as they mature and flower panicles of creamy-white flowers in spring.

Cornus abla 'Sibirica Variegata'

The rest of the planting is made up of medium and low growing shrubs, which are evergreen and flower throughout the seasons as these are the only source of flowers, giving year round interest this boarder needs.

Escallonia ‘Donard Seeding’

To Cotoneaster microphyllus is a small, spreading, evergreen shrub with tiny, rounded, glossy leaves and white flowers in spring and early summer followed by red berries. is a small, spreading, evergreen shrub with tiny, rounded, glossy leaves and white flowers in spring and early summer followed by red berries giving winter interest.

Ranging from Escallonia ‘Donard Seeding’ dark-green leaves. It bears pale-pink flushed white flowers in early summer which open from pink buds with its dark-green leaves and pale-pink flushed white flowers in early summer.

Cotoneaster microphyllus

Front Garden Planting Design For Mark & Catherine, Loughton, Essex.

PLANTING DESIGN: Abridge Village Hall, Ongar, Essex
( To come soon )

PLANTING DESIGN: Joyce & John, Loughton, Essex

‘Front Garden'
Before
- Steep front garden, which is held back within three sections with existing railway sleepers, put in to retain the soil which staggers down to a path at the bottom which leads to the front door.
- These flower beds are over grown with plants which are too large to maintain and hard to access.

Clients Requirements
- Cut back larger shrubs on far right hand side and remove any overgrown plants.
- Lay down stepping stones which would enable client to easily access the plants to maintain them.
- Choose plants which are low growing and give seasonal interest year round.
- Choose plants which suit clay soil, with a part sun aspect.
- Keep rockery stones.
- Low maintenance.
- Colours are to reflect the existing larger shrubs in the flower beds.

Solution
- I chose plants which are low maintenance, low growing and evergreen
giving all year round interest.
- Also I added three stepping stones to make it easier for my client to access the plants safely, which will hopefully blend in with spreading plant varieties surrounding them.
- The plants I chose reflect the existing plants, like the evergreen Sedum spurium Splendens’ with it green to red tinged leaves, which spreads out like a carpet over the rockery stones, which flowers small pink flowers in summer.
- Lavandual which is taller with its fragrant blue-purple flower spikes which flower in late summer. It’s a dense compact form of grey-green leaves which are evergreen.

Before

Ajuga reptans

The Ajuga reptans above has a spreading habit and has evergreen leaves
which are grey-green flushed wine-red with spikes of deep blue flowers in summer

Geranium 'Rozanne'

Planting & Laying stepping stones

After; one year on

RENOVATION OF EXISTING PLANTING
Mr & Mrs Pendleton, Loughton, Essex
'Front garden'

Before Planting

Before
- Rock garden at front of house, with a variety of plants.
Designed and built by the previous owner of house.
- It was over grown with existing plants and weeds.

Clients Requirements
- To reduce the side of existing plants and weed out unwanted plants.

- Plant new alpines in any spaces I have created after I have tidied the garden.

- Choose plants which suit sandy soil, with a sunny aspect.
- Identify as many of the existing plants within the rock garden, in both photographic document recording the image of the plant with name and also in a planting plan with numbers referencing to the plant identification.

- Draw an isometric drawing rendered after the rocky garden has been finished

After / Garden in bloom

Solution
I chose alpine plants so they would enhance the existing planting scheme and fill in any gaps in the rockery as they best suit the well-drained sandy soil. Aubretia ‘Siberrand’, (below) is a compact, mound-forming, and evergreen perennial which has small blue flowers in spring.

Sedum reflexum, (right) is an excellent groundcover in sunny areas. It forms a mat of blue-green leaves, arranged around the stems like spruce needles. Clusters of yellow star flowers appear in summer.

Sedum 'Coral Carpet', (Above) is a mat-forming, evergreen perennial with small, fleshy red flushed leaves. It also has pink-tinted, white star-shaped flowers in late spring to early summer.