Vertical Planting on a Budget

Vertical planting has been incredibly popular during the last 10 years, inspired and driven by Patrick Blanc's amazing installations, seen in London, Paris and across the world.

I dabbled with it back in 2006 for a rhs chelsea show garden, creating my vertical living art installations, but we have since played with the ideas.

Here's an idea we carried out back in a tiny courtyard garden back in 2007, using offcuts of paving, to create the crevices in which I planted a mixture of Sempervivums, requiring a teaspoon of water, these plants can thrive in this sunny location and are incredibly low maintenance.

Here mixed with Rudbeckia deamii, Achillea, Verbena, Anemanthele (although be careful with this grass, it can self seed anywhere, but easy to pull up unwanted seedlings) and topiary.

This vertical idea creates a great, original, textural focal point that breaks up the white rendered walls that enclose this tiny courtyard.

designed and planted by greencube

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Sculpture in the garden, greencube designs a sculptural ball garden

I'm still out taking photos of all the gardens that have been constructed in the last year and last night I visited our clients in Borough Green, Kent to photograph this garden. We designed the terracing around this very beautiful home and picked up on the existing buff coloured stone detailing that formed the sills and frames around the doors and windows. A complimentary colour of yellow granite was finally chosen (Yellow Granite paving from CED) and a sculptural border of yellow granite balls (from Rock Unique) underplanted with Ilex crenata balls and Libertia grandiflora. Oak benches and oak arches have also been included and some division of zones created by deck laid flush with granite. This scheme fuses well with the house and setting. I will return in August to take further photos when the garden furniture is in place and hopefully get some night shots, lighting not yet fully completed at time of visit. Greencube planted this garden in two phases, the trees, ro...

Garden Design

Here's an example of a relatively small town garden designed this month for a retired couple. Materials include yellow stock brick and creamy sandstone riven paving, more traditional in style to fit with our clients Victorian terrace which has been coated with creamy coloured textural render. Here I'm using hand drawn plans alongside perspectives built in sketchup to demonstrate level changes and to bring the plan to life. Our clients and landscapers love these perspective mock ups as they allow them to visualise the schemes virtually, making it easier for all to understand our 'vision'.

But my favourite is most definitely the Telegraph Garden

Designed by Cleve West, a magical space with walls retaining at seat level, so wherever you walk you can pause, sit and enjoy, I managed to gain access to Cleve's garden and even had a brief chat with him. I loved it even more once in the space. The star plant at the show for me is most certainly Dianthus cruentus, with its crimson flowers which looked wonderful in amongst the cotswold stone, with its elegant stems and deep red flower. The statuesque columns, the wonderful dry stone walls and planting that had space, looked natural and certainly did not look like it was only planted a week ago!!!! The play with water with the water pipes and channel through the garden with stone stepping stones, all beautifully executed and inspirational.

greencube garden and landscape design, UK

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