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CDfolia's A's Winter garden

Garden Type: Cottage | Sun: Full Shade | Soil: Combination | Established: 2008 | Organic

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Main area of my best friend’s garden. The photo show’s 1/3 of the bed.
He’d neglected the garden for years and it was full of perennial weeds and horstailss were starting to creep in. He let me replant a bit in 2007 then did a complete redesign in March 2008*

This Winter garden area is very visible to passers by so was designed to look good even in the depths of winter. That said, it has year round interest, not a day goes by when something doesn’t delight. Locals regularly describe it as being like an old fashioned cottage garden in Spring and Summer when the frothy Feverfew knits together all the evergreens and summer flowers. In Spring there is a steady appearance of bulbs to restart the year.

Fairly acid soil
Sloping down to the North, shaded by house, sun only in mornings/evenings.
Compost/loam on top with shale/brick below. Can get very dry at the back, and very waterlogged at the front due to compacted soil around tree roots near gutter outlet.

Key plants by season
Winter: Skimmia, Osmanthus, Hellebore, Cyclamen, Viola, Hebe, Lamium
Spring: As above plus Fritillaria, Narcissus, Epimedium, Aquilegia, Primrose, Anemone, Peony, Cyclamen, Viola, Snowdrop, Sweet Woodruff, Lamium
Summer: Feverfew, Brunnera, Astilbe, Sanguisorba, Candelabra Primrose, Pulsatilla, Dogwood, Sweet Woodruff,
Autumn: As above plus Cyclamen

*The back story:
I’d grown lots of plants for a neighbour who’d asked me to design and plant her garden. but she took a huff when I asked her to walk her dog when I was ill (I was chief dog sitter/walker and spent more time with the dog than her owner did) and sent me an email saying not to come back to the garden or walk the dog anymore. Heartbroken about the dog and angry about 18 months of intense garden planning and growing being wasted my best friend said I could put it all to use on his North facing bed which had many similar aspects and soil conditions.

That marked the beginning of a total transformation of his garden from a neglected mass of grass and weeds to a bulging plant filled garden enjoyed by us, the wildlife and the passers by. I have been amazed by how quickly it took shape in that first year, mainly due to buying a few key evergreen shrubs for structure and then filling out with the things I’d grown from seed, cuttings and division in my own garden. Since then he’s let me have total freedom in all parts of his garden and we are both enjoying what is emerging and delight every day in some aspect of what there is to be seen. Probably the best thing about it all has been seeing him come to love his garden as much as I do.

CDfolia's A's Winter garden is an outdoor organic garden located in Near Loanhead/Edinburgh, United Kingdom and currently contains 78 plants.

This is a Cottage garden that is known to be in USDA Hardiness Zone 8b. It has mainly Combination soil and receives Full Shade light.
summerwinterspringautumnall seasonnorth facing

Photos

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Plantings

Comments

  • anelson

    anelson wrote:

    This plant collection looks fabulous!

    Posted on 14 Mar 11 (over 2 years ago)

  • Bernieh

    Bernieh wrote:

    That is an impressive range of plants and together they make such a beautiful garden. It’s easy to understand why your friend would love this area.

    Posted on 14 May 11 (about 2 years ago)

  • CDfolia

    CDfolia wrote:

    Thank you both. I hadn’t realised quite how many there were until I saw this list, and I’ve not listed them all yet. I am guilty of trying to get as much as possible into a small space so that there will always be something of interest.

    Posted on 15 May 11 (about 2 years ago)

  • Rachel_gardens

    Rachel_gardens wrote:

    Wow, these plantings are beautiful. I can only aspire to getting my beds to look as gorgeous as this!

    Posted on 27 Jan 12 (over 1 year ago)

  • CDfolia

    CDfolia wrote:

    Oh thanks, it came about surprisingly quickly, but luckily had a few older plants to give fullness while the others filled in. Good luck with yours.

    Posted on 27 Jan 12 (over 1 year ago)

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CDfolia

CDfolia

Near Loanhead/Edinburgh

United Kingdom

Info about Cottage gardens

Cottage garden photos

Gardens near Near Loanhead/Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Gardens in USDA Hardiness Zone 8b

Tags

summerwinterspringautumnall_seasonnorth_facing

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