Family Garden in St. Albans

This large family garden provides a recreation space, planting to complement the swimming pool, a permanent BBQ, a private area for contemplation, a small vegetable garden and greenhouse and a feature pond with cascade for a collection of Koi Carp.

The area around the swimming pool was designed and planted in an exotic style and the BBQ as a thatched hut. This was to be a permanent area with seating around for twelve. The range of exotic plants included Cordylines, Trachycarpus, Phormiums and Libertia.

The private contemplative area was designed to include a Cedar clad Summerhouse backing onto a greenhouse and raised bed vegetable and fruit area. This was located to complement and balance the BBQ Hut.

A winding path around the garden surfaced with Cedec Footpath Gravel, enclosed the lawn and provided a journey linking the various elements. The beds to the side of the path were planted with a range of shrubs, trees and herbaceous including Betula utilis jacquemontii 'Doorenbos'; Prunus serrula, Malus Evereste, Ceanothus, Hydrangeas, Daphne, Skimmias and Hamamelis. Screening along the rear boundary was provided with a line of Fagus Sylvatica Dawyck Gold - architectural and colourful.

The design for the Koi carp pond incorporated a cascade backing onto and masking the rear wall of a garage and with stone terrace beds and a built-in seat and table. The planting for this area included Bamboo for screening and primarily ferns, primulas and hostas.

A rainwater harvesting tank was installed in order to provide automatic irrigation and lighting picked out features.

The front garden was also landscaped and whilst it was primarily for cars to park and access the garages, raised beds of vertical hardwood sleepers to the front and sides softened the area. The hard landscaping to the front garden was granite setts to a swirl pattern and with granite chippings at the junction with the beds to afford surface water drainage. Enhancement of the boundaries was provided by trellising and screening in the form of pleached Pyrus Chanticleer and Yew hedging along the front boundary. Further planting included multi-stemmed Betula utilis jacquemontii 'Doorenbos' and multi-stemmed Prunus Serrula. Tiered planting at the junction of the beds with the front walls of the house was Berberis Purpurea, Lavendula Hidcote and Carex Comans Frosted Curls, giving a tiered effect and further planting to provide seasonal colour was in the form of hundreds of tulips and paeonias.

Background screening on the trellis was provided in the form of Pyracantha 'Orange Glow' and Clematis in variety. This was all augmented with a rhythm of cone and ball shaped Buxus sempervirens and Taxus baccata.

Planting list:

Click on any of the plant names below to learn more about the plant and to add it to your own 'Plants I want' list.

TREES:
Albizia julibrissin var. rosea
Amelanchier lamarkii (multistem)
Betula utilis jacquemontii 'Doorenbos' Multistem
Carpinus betulus 'Frans Fontaine'
Cordyline australis (multistem)
Cordyline australis 'Torbay Dazzler'
Fagus sylvatica 'Dawyck Gold'
Malus 'Evereste'
Paulownia
Phoenix theophrastii
Prunus serrula
Sorbus hupehensis (pink fruited)
Trachycarpus fortuneii

SHRUBS:
Acacia baileyana purpurea
Azalea Azuma Kajami
Azalea Hana Asobi
Azalea Kiritsubo
Azalea Kuisianum
Azalea Kure-no-yuki
Calicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii 'Profusion'
Calistemon citrinus 'Splendens'
Camellia x williamsii Donation
Camellia E.T.R. Carlyon
Camellia Francis Hanger
Camellia J.C. Williams
Catalpa bignonioides aurea (as multistem shrub)
Catalpa bignonioides purpurea (as multistem shrub)
Ceanothus 'Blue Mound'
Ceratostigma willmottianum
Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'
Chamaerops humilis
Choisya ternata
Clerodendron trichotomum
Cornus alba Siberica
Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire'
Cotinus coggyria 'Royal Purple'
Cryptomeria japonica Elegans
Daphne bhoula Jacqueline Postil
Daphne laureola
Daphne mezereum
Daphne odora aureomarginata
Daphne pontica
Euonymous alatus
Euonymous alatus compactus
Euphorbia mellifera
Fatshedera lizei
Fatsia japonica
Hamamelis 'Jelena'
Hebe parviflora angustifolia
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Blue Wave'
Hydrangea paniculata praecox
Hydrangea quercifolia
Leucothoe fontanessiana 'Scarletta'
Leycesteria Formosa 'Purple Rain'
Mahonia laureola
Mahonia lomariifolia
Nandina domestica 'Firepower'
Osmanthus burkwoodii
Physocarpus diabolo 'Summer Wine'
Phytolacca americana
Pittosporum tobira
Pittosporum Tom Thumb
Pittosporum Purpureum
Rhammus alaternus 'Argenteovariegata'
Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace'
Sarcocca hookeriana var. digyna
Skimmia japonica rubella
Skimmia x confusa Kew Green
Spirae beautifolia
Taxus baccata
Tetrapanax papyrifera
Viburnum davidii (Female)
Viburnum davidii (Male)
Viburnum opulus compactum
Yucca flaccida
Yucca floribunda
Yucca gloriosa
Yucca recurva

WALL SHRUBS & CLIMBERS:
Berberidopsis corallina
Carpenteria californica
Ceonothus 'Autumnal Blue'
Chaenomoles speciosa Moerloosei
Crinodendron hookeriana
Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald & Gold'
Euonymus 'Sarcoxie'
Euonymus 'Silver Queen'
Itea illicifolia
Lapageria rosea
Lonicera fragrantissima
Ribes speciosum
Schisandra rubriflora (Male)
Schisandra rubriflora (Female)
Schitzophrana hydrangoides roseum
Trachelospermum jasminoides
Tropaeolum
Wisteria sinensis 'Prolific'

HERBACEOUS:
Acanthus spinosus
Achilia filipendula 'Parkers Variety'
Aconitum carmichaelii
Agapanthus 'Praecox Blue'
Agapanthus 'Peter Pan'
Agapanthus 'Praecox White'
Anenome x hybrida 'Honorine Jobert'
Arum italicum 'Pictum'
Aruncus dioicus 'Kneiffi'
Astilbe Deutschland
Astilbe Irrlicht
Astilbe Perkeo
Astilbe Red Sentinel
Astilbe Rheinland
Bergenia Overture
Crocosmia Lucifer
Dicentra Formosa alba
Dicentra spectabilis
Echinops vitro 'Veitchs Blue'
Epimedium rubrum
Eremurus himalaens
Erythronium bulbs
Fascicularia bicolor
Filipendula purpurea f. albiflora
Foeniculum vulgare 'Purpureum'
Helleborus orientalis
Helleborus 'Potters Wheel'
Helleborus niger 'Wester Fisk'
Hemerocallis Stafford
Hosta 'Devon Green'
Hosta 'Frances Williams'
Hosta 'Iron Gate Delight'
Hosta 'June'
Hosta 'Lemon Delight'
Hosta 'Paradise Puppet'
Hosta 'September Sun'
Hosta 'Summer Music'
Hosta 'Twist of Lime'
Hosta 'Yellow Splash'
Iris confusa 'Martin Rix'
Iris foetidissimus variegata
Iris Sibirica 'Blue King'
Kniphofia caulescens
Kniphofia northia
Kniphofia rooperi
Liatris spicata
Libertia peregrinans
Liriope muscari 'Gold Banded'
Lysimachia ciliata 'Firecracker'
Pachysandra terminalis
Paeonia 'Sir Edward Elgar' OR 'President Poincare OR Flamingo OR Dresden
Phlomis russeliana
Phorminium 'Maori Maiden'
Phorminium tenax 'Sundowner'
Phormium 'Variegata'
Phormium 'Yellow Wave'
Polygonatum hybridum
Primula bulleesiano
Primula bulleyana
Primula chionantha
Primula chungensis
Primula florindae
Primula gracilipes
Primula graffithii
Primula Inverewe
Primula Japonica 'Millers Crimson'
Primula 'Lady Greer'
Primula petiolaris
Primula prolifera
Primula pulverulenta
Primula reidii
Primula rosea
Primula sikkimensis
Primula Wanda Supreme Series
Rodgersia pinnata Superba
Rudbekia maxima
Salvia 'Indigo Spires'
Tricyrtis macropoda
Tricyrtis formosana
Tricyrtis hirta
Trifolium
Trifolium repens Purpurescens Quadrofolium
Trillium grandiflorum
Trillium luteum
Trillium rivale
Tulbaghia violacea 'Silverlace'
Verbena bonariensis

GRASSES:
Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'
Carex oshimensis 'Evergold'
Carex 'Variegata'
Carex comans 'Frosted Curls'
Carex morrowii 'Fisher's Form'
Hakanachloa macra alboaurea
Imperata cylindrica 'Red Baron'
Miscanthus floridulus
Miscanthus sinensis Strictus

BAMBOOS:
Chusquea culeou
Indocalamus tesselatus
Pleioblastus auricomus
Pleioblastus fortuneii variegata
Pleioblastus pygmaeus Distichus
Pleioblastus viridistriatus
Phylostachys aureasulcata Spectabilis
Pseudosasa japonica

FERNS:
Adiantum venustrum
Adiantum aleuticum 'Japonicum'
Asplenium scolopendrium Augustatum
Asplenium scolopendrium 'Crispum Group'
Asplenium Cristatum Group
Blechnum penna chilense
Blechnum penna Marina
Dryopteris affinis Cristata
Matteuccia struppiopteris
Osmunda regalis
Polystichum munitum
Polystichum setiferum 'Pulchenimum Bevis'