greencube garden and landscape design, UK

Greencube features in Review of the Year, best designs for 2011 in the Garden Design Journal, our third consecutive year. Our wonderful garden in Chislehurst featured in Review of the year, highlighted for planting design in combination with cor-ten steel panels. A dominant mix of predominantly orange and purple flowering plants. www.greencubelandscapes.co.uk/portfolio/portfoliochislehurst.html This garden was completed back in Spring 2011 with the unpredictable hot dry spring, the plants perhaps did not get the best start. I have since been back this summer to photograph the garden and in the Autumn to plant bulbs. I will return to photograph in the Spring 2012 by which time the plants will be establishing nicely, knitting together and we are expecting a wonderful display of Tulips and Alliums to add to our great collection of perennials and ornamental grasses.

I have recently been introduced to a very talented sculptor - Jane Robbins and I'm particularly interested in her 'chrystalclear' resin work, something new, innovative and unique. Jane is creating some amazing figurative angel sculptures and I'm hoping to design a dark reflective pool uplit at night with one of her creations. www.janerobbins.com See photos below, some of Jane's work. (all photos copyright - Jane Robbins) Angel resin sculptures featured below: clear colour Angel wringing out her hair pink colour Angel leaning on her hands I'm hoping the sculpture can be placed on an unobtrusive mount so that she appears to float on the dark water. We have been asked by Steve Clark of Chilstone Stone to design a show garden at their headquarters in Tunbridge Wells and so hopefully we can include Jane's work into our design also. I'm putting the final elements together ready to present in the new year. www.chilstone.com

I popped in to see progress on construction of a large garden in Tunbridge Wells this week and boy are the landscape contractors (Creative) making good progress. I met Colin for a walk round site and cannot believe how much they have progressed in 2 weeks, site cleared, walls partially built, type 1 going down ready for paving, decking being laid, cabling and irrigation going in. I'm very excited about this garden, it has a wonderful curvy flow, with subtle divisions of space and some very high specification detailing including a cantilevered seat, an outdoor fire place and a very modern bold planting scheme. We will be planting this garden this Spring and look forward to seeing the end result.

Material choice on our new wall is working really well, oak retaining wall meets the paddlestone curvy wall and is going to have a crisp smooth sandstone top acting as a capping, keeping the weather out, detailed to bring a modern touch to what could look rather rustic. Gorgeous natural colours mainly by the ore content in the stone, it works well with the oak, which will mellow to a silvery grey. The colours are enriched when wet and takes on a whole new look. Looking forward to seeing it completed with lawn and planted border by Spring of next year.

Who said gardens were dull in Winter? I have been looking through my collection of photos and found some amazing coloured stems of Cornus, Salix and White stemmed bramble - Rubus. These photos were taken at: Broadview Gardens Kent Hillier Gardens Hampshire Knoll Gardens Dorset Its good to visit other gardens, keeps you fresh, always looking and always learning. The Cornus looks like a raging fire and when the soft winter sun appears and lifts the colour they look great. We have planted lots of Cornus this year in our clients gardens, always in drifts for wonderful impact. Cornus 'Midwinter fire' with Salix 'Yelverton' in background Cornus 'Kesselringii' and Cornus 'Flaviramea' in background Rubus stems look like they have been dusted with icing sugar Pennisetum and Miscanthus Grass Sedum 'Autumn Joy' and Euphorbia wulfennii Clematis seedhead catching the light