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Showing posts from January, 2012

Cyclamen coum - winter colour

Another favourite for January is Cyclamen coum, we have planted 400 of these to colonise under some large deciduous oak trees, giving winter colour en masse in our Tunbridge Wells garden, follow link: http://greencubelandscapes.co.uk/portfolio/portfoliotunbridgewells.html If you are going to have this plant in your garden you must plant lots, creating a dramatic effect, this photo was taken at RHS Wisley. You can normally buy them in 9cm pots and so relatively inexpensive.

Winter flowering Sarcococca confusa - sweet box

Plant of the week One of my favourite plants for dry shade is the robust, glossy and winter flowering Sarcococca confusa an amazing plant that tolerates a very dry position where little else would survive. An evergreen glossy plant that can be clipped into an informal hedge. If I stand under my pine tree in my garden adjacent to my neighbours conifer hedge (i.e incredibly dry, shady and sandy soil) I can smell sweet vanilla scent from the Sarcococca flowers. The flowers are followed by a black berry. When our clients say "You'll never find a plant to grow under there, it's far too dry" we know we can !

Exciting Garden to be built in Collier Street, Kent

I have just completed a design for a lovely couple moving into a refurbished cottage in Collier Street. I have teamed up with Nik at Langdale Landscapes who will be completing the construction. This design includes large sculptural steel balls, a reflective pool, a stainless steel water wall, a cool pod (garden room) at the end of the garden, a log wall, some wonderful built in seating with storage and a very contemporary layout and design. Looking forward to working with Nik on this one.

Fireplace, Granite paving and deck boards

I've been out on site visits all week, delivering 4 designs, going out to tender on another job and checking progress on our Tunbridge Wells Job which is coming along nicely, the granite paving looks great, the fireplace has been built and is almost ready for its strip light gas fire, the cantilevered seat is on order and the deck boards are down. Creative Landscapes are doing a great job. Looking forward to seeing this job complete, greencube are planting this garden in the spring.

Capping on wall

Paul at Rock Unique did a superb job on the capping on the curvy wall. Templated and cut accurately. Clayton returned to lay the capping and now we need to prepare for the lawn, drive and kitchen garden.

What's looking good in greencube's garden in January

Following a well earned break over the Christmas and new Year we are back to work and have seen an influx of new enquiries, January normally a quiet month, a time to tidy, straighten, complete and reflect on the previous years work and commissions. Not for greencube, I have already booked 4 new clients into our diary. I had time to do a few jobs around my own garden at the weekend which included tidying my espalier fig, now that it is bare of leaves and I can actually see the frame and what I'm doing.  I also cut down my asparagus in readiness for the new asparagus season in May/June. Here's whats looking good in January: Hamamelis x intermedia 'Barmstedt Gold' Iris reticulata 'Harmony' Galanthus sp. Galanthus sp. Helleborus 'Harvington Speckled White'