GARDENING AUGUST 2024.qxp_Layout 1 19/07/2024 16:15 Page 1
GARDENING
Holiday horticulture
Has your summer vacation left you feeling inspired? Elly West looks at ways you can transform your outside space into a fragrant Mediterranean garden, tropical oasis and more
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ummer holidays are here, offering the chance to escape from everyday routines. Gardens that we see while taking a break can be great sources of inspiration with elements to bring home and adapt, recreating memories and turning our gardens into our own personal paradise. By incorporating appropriate plants, design elements and cultural accents, we can feel as if we’re on holiday without stepping foot on a plane, boat or in a car. The first stage in recreating a holiday garden is to decide on the theme, whether it’s the lush, tropical feel of a Caribbean island, the aromatic silver-leaved gardens of the Mediterranean, a serene Zen garden of Japan, or the colourful, vibrant, Victorian style of a British seaside resort. Different destinations have their own unique style, architecture, decorative features, colours and materials. Look back through photos or do some online research, and perhaps put together a mood board of ideas that you can refer back to when choosing elements to add to your outdoor space.
Take your pick Plants are at the heart of any garden, so while it’s essential to choose plants that evoke the same feel as your chosen holiday, the key is to then select similar varieties that will survive our climate. A tropical garden will feature lots of lush foliage plants, so consider hardy palms such as Chamaerops humilis and Trachycarpus fortunei, along with bamboos, phormiums, cordylines and the glossy palmate leaves of Fatsia japonica. Some other tropical-style plants that can be grown here, but may need wrapping in winter, include tree ferns and hardy banana (Musa basjoo). There are also lots of tough UK-friendly flowering plants that will add to the theme, that bring flowers as well as architectural foliage. Kniphofia, hostas, daylilies, crocosmia, hardy hibiscus and geums will all suit a 76 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2024 | No 237
tropical space, and should come back year after year. This rich mix of flowers and foliage textures and colours can then be complemented with bamboo furniture, tiki torches and vibrant cushions. A small pond or other water feature can also add to the lush island atmosphere.
Mastering the Med Recreating a Mediterranean-style garden is also very achievable with the right mix of plants and hard-landscaping. Think earthy tones in sunbaked shades of terracotta, brown and cream, rustic furniture, plus gravel paths and scented, drought-tolerant planting. A gravel garden filled with silver-leaved plants, grasses and herbs makes a great alternative to a water-thirsty lawn. Lavender, olives, rosemary and sage, and pergolas draped with knobbly vines will all add to the Mediterranean vibe. Pastel colours tend to look washed out in bright sunshine, so typical Mediterranean planting often includes reds, oranges and vibrant pinks and yellows. Italianate gardens bring their own unique style, with roots in ancient Rome and resurrected during the Renaissance, and are very much about formality and manicured evergreens. These impressive outdoor rooms would have complemented the majestic villas of wealthy Romans, featuring lots of carefully clipped hedges and topiary to divide the space. The focus is on evergreen shrubs and hard landscaping to create symmetry in the bones of the garden, herbs and fruits rather than flowers, although some climbing plants such as roses, jasmine or wisteria would fit well with the theme. Lemon trees arranged symmetrically in pots will give an Italian feel, although they will need bringing indoors to a conservatory or similar in winter in the UK. Columnar Italian cypress, clipped yew, plus herbs such as lavender, rosemary and tansy are all good choices that are hardy for our British gardens. Vegetables are not typically found in Italianate gardens, although if you wanted to grow some food