Bringing New Zealand to Islington

The Mediterranean garden, in Kew, is home to numerous New Zealand plants
The Mediterranean garden, Kew, home to numerous New Zealand plants

This new planting scheme for a garden in Islington is a tale of two hemispheres, on two counts. First, although it is based in North London, it incorporates a range of plants native to New Zealand, where the owners spent their childhood. Second, it also has two distinct environments: one side faces south, it is sunny and warm, with well-drained soil, while the other faces north, is in the shade, and the soil remains reliably moist.

 

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The Savill garden: redefining the winter frontier

Carex oshimensis Evergold wrapping around a Daphne bohlua Jacqueline Postiill
Carex oshimensis Evergold wrapping around a Daphne bohlua Jacqueline Postiill

January 2020 – Winter was once the final frontier for garden folks. The cold season just meant leafless shrubs, perennials cut back to the ground, and muddy borders. Of course you could always count on holly, yew and various conifers for greenery and structure. The odd Christmas rose would bring a bit of colour until the first snowdrops popped up, along with winter aconites, followed by crocuses heralding the imminence of spring and a return to floriferous times. But mostly, in winter, gardens went into hibernation.

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