Copper Beech (Fagus sylvatica f. purpurea)
The copper beech, also known as purple beech, has to be one of my favourite trees - I'm fortunate enough… Read more.
Plant Focus: My Two Favourite Asters
If Salvia ‘Caradonna’ is one of my go to plants for early-mid Summer, then Aster amellus ‘Violet Queen’ & Aster… Read more.
Plant Focus: Ornamental Alliums
One of the most widely recognised and used perennials, the ornamental Allium is a tough, easy to grow plant with… Read more.
Plant Focus: Salvia ‘Caradonna’
This is definitely one of my “go to” plants when preparing planting plans as it is so reliable, well behaved,… Read more.
Low Maintenance Front Garden Planting
We recently completed the planting for a front garden for a client in Twyford. This planting needed to be low… Read more.
Plant Focus: Rosmarinus ‘Miss Jessopp’s Upright’
A Rosemary? Yes, I am extolling the virtues of a simple, commonly available Rosemary plant. What's to like? Rosmarinus ‘Miss… Read more.
Winter doesn’t have to mean a dull garden
The cold weather has arrived and Christmas is quickly approaching. This is the time of year when your garden does… Read more.
Trees for Autumn colour
Autumn, for me, is the time for trees. When you think of autumn you likely think of the fiery reds,… Read more.
Adding structure to planting borders
A very common request when discussing planting requirements with clients is for a garden with year-round interest - it normally… Read more.
Plant Focus: Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’
Love the flower and wafting scent of Lilac, but put off by the fact that they grow too big too… Read more.
Plant Focus: Nandina domestica & its smaller relatives
Until recently, Nandina domestica was little known and rarely used by gardeners in the UK, but it is now gaining… Read more.
Using Spring bulbs to add extra colour
Spring bulbs are the underused category of plants that can really lift your garden and add a pop of colour… Read more.
Helleborus niger –The Christmas Rose
You know it’s nearly Christmas……. when the first thing that greets you at your local garden centre is a vast… Read more.
Plant Focus: Pittosporum tenuifolium & its cultivars
As any ALDA Landscapes customer will tell you, I am a great fan of Pittosporums, and they feature in some… Read more.
Value For Money Plants
At last we have had some rain, and lawns have begun to take on a hint of green - although… Read more.
Drought Tolerant Plants
As I sit in my office writing this blog, the sun is shining gloriously outside, and it is very warm… Read more.
Plant Focus: Salvia ‘Royal Bumble’
Some people love bright red. But many gardeners shy away from using red flowered plants in their gardens for fear… Read more.
First Glimpses of Spring
As I sit here writing my January blog, the sky outside is grey and overcast. It seemed to take forever… Read more.
Plants To Lift The Winter Gloom
Is it just me, or does it seem very grey and dark all of a sudden? As I sit here… Read more.
Mediterranean Planting
This is the second in a series of blogs looking at using plants for creating different effects, and considers Mediterranean… Read more.
Glade Planting
For me, one of the most interesting aspects of planting design is how plants can be used to build and… Read more.
Plant Focus: Photinia x fraseri ‘Red Robin’ – A Garden Designer’s View
As a garden designer, I have very mixed emotions when it comes to Photinia x fraseri ‘Red Robin’. Am I… Read more.
Making space for all the things you want to grow
Modern new build houses seem to be allocated ever smaller gardens; we find that even large dwellings nowadays are often… Read more.
How We Source Plants
One of the joys of my work is seeing a garden being transformed – from the design, through the landscaping,… Read more.
The Holly & The Ivy – A Seasonal Blog Post
It may be seasonal, but I have to say that Ivy (Hedera) is not my favourite plant. It can be… Read more.
Creative Ways with Plants
When designing a planting scheme for clients, garden designers (me included) always look to provide structure and plant interest all… Read more.
What to plant in a narrow border (by a boundary or fence)
Most gardens that I visit have a few borders which are really narrow, some perhaps just 30cm (1’) to 45cm… Read more.
Plant Focus: Polystichum setiferum ‘Herrenhausen’ & ‘Proliferum’
Little plants with long names! Anyone who has ever asked me to design a planting scheme for them will know… Read more.