Mother's Sundial Garden

Sundial Garden

After the summer of 2007 my parents decided the time was right to replace their swimming pool with a garden and I offered to design the garden for them. The redeveloped area needed to blend in with the existing courtyard, which could be updated later. Raised beds were incorporated into the design for easy access to the plants, thereby minimising the bending and kneeling required for maintenance. Landscaping WoodBlocX were an elegant and simple way of building the different sized and interlinked raised beds.

The two compound beds are joined by a double arch to support white flowering wisteria. The planting aims to provide texture, colour and interest throughout the year. Evergreen and climbing plants add some of the structure and height to the beds, whilst herbaceous and exotic style plants are used to add more colour and drama. A large number of bulbs have been used to add seasonal features throughout the year. Although the garden is young and the plants need more time to establish themselves, the progress after the first two years (shown towards the bottom of this page) has been rewarding.

Christmas 2007, filled pool
10 Aug 2008, foundations for paving
24 AUG 2008, preparations for construction
27 AUG 2008, raised beds under construction

Late summer colour Late summer colour, crocosmaia 'Jackanapes'
Sundial - 45th Wedding Anniversary gift to my parents Cordyline

Main Plants

Phormium ‘Firebird’
Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’
Buxus sempervirens
Allium ‘Christophii’
Agapanthus 'Navy Blue'
Geranium 'Rozanne'
Scilla peruviana
Anemone blanda 'Mixed'
Crocus 'Bronze', Galanthus nivalis

Wisteria floribunda alba

Yucca filamentosa 'Variegata'
Cyclamen hederifolium
Cyclamen coum
Lavender ‘Miss Muffet’
Allium ‘Purple Sensation’
Dahlia ‘David Howard’
Helenium ‘Sahin’s Early Flowerer’
Dahlia ‘Dark Desire’
Crocosmia - from seed, 'Jackanapes', 'Golden Fleece'
Dahlia ‘Festivo’
Anemone blanda 'Mixed', Tulip 'Antoinette' (also known as the Chameleon Tulip)
Crocus 'Bronze', Galanthus nivalis