English Garden Style

I’ve just spent a few days in London. Amid the beauty of Westminster Abbey, Parliament, and Buckingham palace, I couldn’t help but admire the presence of English garden style. English gardens are renowned  for their splendor. Deep shades of green and dashes of bright color.  Sculpted boxwood and long expanses of velvet lawn.  Most envision large English garden estates or majestic city parks, but the beauty of English gardens is alive and distinct in urban England.   Container gardening is a wonderful way to adorn your garden with English style.  First, begin by selecting a few plants in different shades of green.  Consider plants of varying heights, including trailing or vine-like plants. Remember to mix different textures together to add interest. Pick one color or one blooming variety to add to your container.  The green shades of foliage create a wonderful backdrop for bloomers. Remember to keep it simple.  English landscapes are formal in appearance and limiting your plant selection to three or so plant varieties will better achieve this style.

Must haves for an English garden container: ivy and boxwood. Ivy can tolerate part sun, but if your location is too sunny (usually more than five hours of direct sunlight a day), consider an alternative like potato vine. Here’s a few other plant suggestions. Trailing Vines for Sun Potato vine-chartreuse, variegated, or dark purple TrailingVines for Shade/part-sun Wire vine-dark green English or California ivy-dark green or variegated with light green and white Silver falls Dicentra- grayish green  Medium height Licorice plant- either chartreuse, gray, or variegated green Tall Plants for the Center Tru dwarf boxwood- medium green Italian cypress- blue green Lemon cypress-bright chartreuse green.  Find your inner Brit!