Johnbrooksgardendesign

Photos from Blue Gerbera Horticulture Limited's post

Enjoyed a return visit to one of our planting design projects completed last summer. Quite a difference; and two very happy clients (which is what it's all about!). If you have a tired part of your garden you need waking up, give us a call!

Johnbrooksgardendesign

Johnbrooksgardendesign

If you're thinking about making changes to all or part of your existing garden, taking the time to plan properly will pay dividends as well as help you avoid potentially costly mistakes.

Johnbrooksgardendesign

Johnbrooksgardendesign

Huge congrats to our (sadly now ‘former’) Hort. Manager Xanthe as she begins her new venture operating under her own name. Good luck Xanth’ you deserve it 🙂

‪Really impressed with this auger from Power Planter. Clips into an ordinary electric hand drill and makes planting bulbs/loosening soil a breeze! ‬

Photos from Blue Gerbera Horticulture Limited's post

Well, we’ll soon be heading into November; proper Autumn and although the days are shorter and it’s going to get colder and damper, it’s time to think ahead to next spring’s garden because November is also Tulip planting time! It’s traditional to wait a little longer to plant tulips than other bulbous spring-flowering plants. Daffodils (Narcissus), Crocus and Anenomes can be planted from late-September onwards, (although don’t worry if you’ve not yet got around to planting yours, you should still just about have enough time to guarantee an early spring show next year), but tulips should be left until the temperatures really start to drop. The reason? Well, tulips are particularly susceptible to soil-dwelling viral and fungal diseases. Drops in temperature wipe out many of these organisms leaving your tulip bulbs to happily start putting down roots without fear of infection. But what to buy? There are 100s if not 1000s of tulip varieties on the market. Different tulips bloom anywhere from April, even late March if the weather conditions are right, through to the end of May. There is also a aesthetically wide range of tulips available, from simple 'Species' tulips, to flamboyantly fringed and 'Parrot' varieties. Whatever tulips you choose, plant in bold groups or swathes through your beds and borders. Mass planting bulbs of any sort looks far more effective than dotting around individual plants. Remember you’re looking for a natural look, not something that’s been overly-planned. Here are my top-five tulips to help you decide, (all bulbs available to buy from us, please get in touch for a quote): Tulipa ‘Spring Green’ - This is a duel coloured tulip which flowers in April/May. I particularly love how the green stem of the plant appears to continue into the flower itself and forms a stripe through it’s ivory coloured petals. This tulip grows to around 45cm in height. Tulipa ‘Black Parrot’ - As the name suggests, this is a parrot variety and displays the fringed edges to its petals that are typical of this form. T. ‘Black Parrot’ is a dramatic, deep purple colour and stands about 55cm tall, flowering in May. Tulipa ‘Jan Reus’ - This is a tulip that probably represents what you would draw if asked to sketch ‘a tulip’. It’s neat and elegant, flowering in late April with deep red petals. These look great planted on mass in beds and borders but can look stunning when container grown just on their own. Tulipa ‘Tarda’ - This tulip is one of the earliest flowering and smallest tulips available. It only grows to about 15cm tall and so is best sited at the front of borders or in pots. If left to naturalise, it’ll form good sized clumps of plants and flower reliably year after year. Tulipa ‘Green Wave’ - In any list of tulips, we have to include one complete show-off and for this we have to go back to the parrot tulip family. Similarly to T. ‘Spring Green’, T. ’Green Wave’ mixes the greens of it’s stem with its petal colours which this time are pink and white. It initially produces understated round buds in May but then unfurls to display it’s stunning full plumage. Quite a show stopper! If you want to purchase any of these beautiful tulips for your own garden, or for more advice on how you can create stunning planting schemes whatever the time of year, please get in touch with John Brooks Garden Design ( @JBGardendesign ) or via our maintenance business, @BGHorticulture.

Johnbrooksgardendesign

Love autumn in the garden 🙂

Photos from Blue Gerbera Horticulture Limited's post

You may have noticed an extra oomph to this year’s autumn colour with trees and shrubs putting on an extra stunning display. You’re not imagining it, the vibrant reds and purples of trees and shrubs are particularly strong this year and it’s mainly thanks to the summer heat wave. However, it wasn’t just the heat that’s caused this explosion of autumn colour. Remember ‘The Beast from the East’? Well, aside from dragging out the winter and making us all feel particularly glum last spring, the cold snap was quietly creating optimum conditions for plants to produce the colourful pigments that are now showing themselves now the days have become shorter. While most of us don’t have space in our gardens for a mighty Liquidambar styraciflua (see photo), by including some varieties of small tree and shrubs in your planting schemes, you can ensure you take advantage of the season and enjoy the colours of autumn as the days begin to shorten. Here are five of the very best, (from left to right)... 1. Amelanchier arborea Robin Hill (June Berry) This small tree works really hard. It’s well worth considering if you’re thinking of introducing height into your garden and one I use a lot when designing client’s gardens. Not only does it provide a great autumnal display when it’s leaves turn rich red, it also produces coppery coloured leaves before they green up, and is covered in blossom in spring. 2. Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii 'Profusion' One of my favourite shrubs. While Callicarpa do produce clusters of white flowers during summer, they really do look incredible in autumn. Not only do they produce stunning purple foliage, but their fruits look like metallic-purple ball-bearings which hang on well after the plant loses it’s leaves. 3. Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple’ (The Smoke Bush) Smoke Bushes get their common name from the plumes of fuffly looking flowers that appear in July and August but they're grown mainly for their autumn colour. Their foliage appears as purple which looks dramatic enough, but then turns crimson in autumn. 4. Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea ‘Admiration' (Barberry) Berberis come in many sizes and forms. ‘Admiration’ is a low growing shrub only reaching about 50cm in height but one which produces really strong colouration throughout the year and looks particularly good in autumn. It requires little tlc and you only need to give it a bit of a trim if/when it starts to look a little tatty. A great plant for providing contrast against the green foliage of other plants. 5. Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweet Gum Tree) Growing to heights of 20m+ this is giant and not suitable for most gardens but it’s worth including and looking out for in parks and large estates. It’s arguably the King of the Autumn display, it’s summer coat of green, maple-like leaves turns a spectacular crimson and gold, appearing to be on fire when viewed from a distance. Stunning! For more advice on how you can create stunning planting schemes in your garden whatever the time of year, or to discuss the re-design of part or all of your existing outdoor space, please get in touch Johnbrooksgardendesign or via our maintenance business, Blue Gerbera Horticulture Limited

Just received a fantastic review from one of our clients. Very proud of the team and all of their hard work. "Three years ago my garden was a wreck ! It is circa 1/3rd of an acre, largely lawn around two sides of the house, plus a number of beds, arbor and pots. At the back it is shady particularly because of Leylandii trees used as a screen from the neighbours. Problems I had included; Drainage issues of the lawn because of previous poor foundation Inability to get anything much to grow in the shady area Difficulty in finding the time to maintain the ‘sunny’ areas (especially weeding!) Watering system issues. Within the three years I have known the ‘Blue Gerbera’ team my garden has been transformed into a real place of beauty and enjoyment. Blue Gerbera provide full maintenance during which they look after each and every plant. For example, I have a few precious plants and shrubs given to me and I particularly want to ensure they stay alive!! I have been given outstanding planning advice which means that I now have fabulous plants in the shady rear garden which look quite stunning. In the sunny front great advice has been given around a rockery and a lavender bed. The drainage and water problems have both been sorted. Blue Gerbera staff are great people to work with and are always at the end of a phone to both trouble shoot and discuss ideas. Dr. Louise Teare, Stock"