English gardens and how to re-create their look
An English garden is not a defined term, but it generally refers to a non structured (or architectural) garden where plants and flowers grow in an organic-looking way. If this is the kind of garden you are looking for, roll up your sleeves and tug on your gardening gloves and boots, we are ready to take you through the elements that this type of garden should have.
Meandering paths
Above: Tom Howard Garden Design, in Fulham, London
Meadow-like florals
To create a meadow like scenery you need to choose plants and flowers of different heights and which flower at different times so you have colour and interest in your garden all year round.
The rambling rose is an icon in the English garden. It has many uses - for arches, pergolas, rambling through bushes and into trees and covering unsightly objects. Over years it can be trained to cover a front porch, a wall or your shed, like it does in our garden, shown below. The best English roses (as awarded multiple times in the Chelsea Flower Show) are by David Austin. Our favourite are:
The Rambling rector as pictured below. It produces a magnificent show of strongly fragrant, white blooms with a slightly yellow core.
Crimson Shower has flowers that are held in large clusters against dark, shiny foliage. It starts to flower around midsummer, continuing into September. The long, flexible growth makes it easy to train. Norman, 1951.
Above: Another Tom Howard Garden design
Clematis is a good alternative. It is a fast-climbing vine, making it a perfect choice for a garden shed cover. Other flowers for your borders and planters:
Coneflower - These perennials are drought-tolerant, hardy, and easy to grow.
Dahlia - dahlias start blooming approximately eight weeks after they've been planted, which is usually in mid-July.
Freesia - one of the most fragrant flowers.
Evening Primrose - these bright flowers begin to open in the evening hours.
Forsythia - They bloom in early Spring.
Geraniums - a backyard staple.
Hydrangea - blooms from early spring to late autumn.
Lavender - Usually blooms from late June through August.
Lily - June through August.
Lupine - tall plant, blooms Spring or summer.
Peony - Late April to early June.
Petunia - Petunias are tough little flowers that flower from Spring till the first frost.
Add seating
Ensure there is a seating area, no matter how small the garden. It can be with bistro like foldable chairs (which can be stowed away in the shed during winter) or through a metal bench that can be left outdoors all year long. The English garden of course likes a classic style of furniture, so think about sturdy oak benches or metal.
