Meadow Grass and Lush Planting

I am treading warily into the meadow. A perfect day for snakes to bask in the sun. If you welcome and encourage wildlife, you can’t be choosy, and my dislike of snakes is my problem, not theirs.

There are thousands of big rosehips, greeny-orange on the Rosa rugosa plantations. They are so decorative and the birds love them.

One of my favourite small trees, the Spindle tree, Euonymus europaeus, looks well on its own or in a hedge. The unusually shaped striking coral pink and vivid orange fruits are very decorative, and the blue tits love them. Later in the autumn the leaves will turn a dramatic pink.

Amelanchier is another useful and very pretty small tree. It stays a reasonable size and shape, and creates soft ripply shade. Beautiful spring blossom is followed by pink-bronze new leaves, then berries and incredible autumn colour. It has delicately marked bark with shallow, closely packed fissures. A good all-rounder.

The Miscanthus varieties have done really well this year, and the yellow Hypericum and red Persicaria are stunning. The area between the house and the pond has a shaggy look, best viewed as one breathtaking overall picture. Just what I was aiming for – huge plantings, amazing textures which change to different vistas with more complex and interesting combinations as you move through.