Yes, even garden designers get it wrong sometimes, and here’s a perfect example. This garden is one of my favourites: a formal scheme made up of four 6×6 metre blocks of rich perennial planting, framing a central lawn like a grand green chessboard.
At the heart of each border, I planted a Carpinus betulus tree, meticulously clipped into beehive shapes with foliage almost to the ground. The idea was to add structure and rhythm, a kind of sculptural punctuation amidst the softness. And for the first season or two, it worked.
But four years on, the planting has come into its own. The trouble is those lovely beehive trees had become… well… roadblocks. They blocked the sightlines across the garden and competed with the perennials for attention and light.
Enter the client, with rather good instincts. They asked the gardeners to lift the canopies, creating floating hemispheres of green on top and letting the views and planting beneath breathe. The result is lighter, more open borders, better visibility, and the perennials finally getting the spotlight they deserve.
It was a misstep, yes, but one that led to a better garden. Design evolves, and sometimes the best ideas come from seeing things grow and having the humility to adapt. Needless to say, I’ll be borrowing this trick in future.
#gardendesign #gardenmistakes #plantingdesign #carpinus #formalgarden #englishgarden #gardenlessons #perennialborder #treepruning #gardenstructure
So, I need to make a confession. We got it wrong. I got it wrong. About five years ago, we went to a nursery in Holland and I flew over there with the client of this garden and we picked eight of these carpinus beehives as they were. So, when we had these brought to the UK, we planted them in this quite formal pattern. And this dreamy idea that I had was they would be surrounded by swaves of habaceous perennials in these really deep 6 m borders. And maybe I was thinking, who am I above my station? These were the biggest borders that I’d ever designed. However, we got it wrong with these trees. Why are you thinking? Well, they look great now. So, when we first bought them, they had foliage pretty much all the way down to the ground. And whilst that did look good when they were new, as soon as the habaceous perennials came through and got older, they were kind of competing with each other. They were blocking views through the garden. And so what the client has done recently is instructed their gardeners to raise the canopy of these. And I have to admit, I absolutely love them. Just looking over here at these eight trees, you can now get other glimpses of the garden. The habaceous perennials underneath are much happier, and you’ve got this kind of freer space. So this is definitely an idea I will be stealing from
6 Comments
Not so much a mistake but just something that needed adjustments. I think the boarders would be missing something without them. ❤
Gardens need constant change and they evolve over the years. I think that is part of the fun. Finding ways for things to thrive and look good at the same time.
I dont think this is a mistake, looks good. Works well, nothing out of place from where I'm standing
This is how learn. Garden is gorgeous
It's a beautiful garden 😊❤
Change is the only constant there is, particularly if you are a gardener.I have been given permission to change my new rental garden from hard architectural agaves and yuccas..yuk…to a blousy cottage garden to soften the brutal clean lines of the house.But plant prices are through the roof in Australia. I will have to sell a kidney!
If you have young tree and it has grown branches at the base would it be detrimental to its health by cutting those back? I have one and it’s thriving but looks like a right mess but I’m afraid to trim it back.