greencube garden and landscape design, UK

Sometimes there's a magical moment when nature plays it trump card, the view from our kitchen over the farm on Monday evening after a raincloud dispersed its contents and the sun returned with a subtle golden light on the new fresh birch and hawthorn leaves, magical......

I was invited by lecturer Brian Hawtin to visit college last Friday, the year 2 garden design students have been set the task, as part of their construction and planting unit to build our winning show garden in the grounds of Broadview gardens for the public and college to view, how exciting! I must say they have given it a prime position and the students all seem incredibly keen. We discussed the site, its aspect and the larger plot over and above the 5 x 7 metres at Hampton Court which will enable us to extend the garden out to the linking paths. I talked to two of the students who are working up the extended planting palette and we agreed on Espalier Apples on tension wires, Cobnuts and a Mulberry tree with big bold swathes of ornamental grasses with Heleniums, Rudbeckia, Achilleas, lots of bulbs, more apple stepovers and obviously keeping within the spectrum of the red orange and yellow. The college are also taking the trouble to position our prized and precious Lemon tree posi...

Photographer and garden writer Modeste Herwig has published a new garden book titled  Tuinideeën which translates to 'Garden Ideas'.

The Chislehurst garden is almost complete and ready for us to plant, the landscapers Steve and Matt were installing the cor-ten steel panels within the borders and have only the turf to lay, I'm very excited about this project and cannot wait to plant in a few weeks time. The rusting process is developing nicely.

A newly constructed garden in Twickenham is almost ready for the website, I'll return in late spring when the grasses are growing and looking a little fuller, the bamboos have taken well in the raised and irrigated planter, we need to set the scene with scatter cushions, garden furniture and some tea lights in the alcoves. Night shots are essential for this tiny courtyard space.

We are currently working on a large garden in Tunbridge Wells with 4 large terraces that include a meadow and orchard at the bottom, a deck that appears to float off the second terrace and some wonderful organic york stone walls that have been beautifully constructed by the landscapers. We planted 23 fruit trees in the orchard this week, Apples, cookers and eating, Plums, Cherries, Pears and a Quince. Tough work in the heavy wet soil.

Vibrant oranges and purples at the opposite end of the colour wheel