Classic North Facing English Combination

Plants:

Standard Iceberg Roses

Lavender Hidcote (English Lavender)        

Buxus sempervirens Hedge   

Hardly groundbreaking, but why mess with a classic? This is an age-old favourite that still has relevance today and will do for a long time. If you have a north-facing garden that runs along the front of your house or decking area, this plant combination really does fit into any planting style you are looking to achieve. The Standard Iceberg Roses are a hardy and reliable choice, offering prolific blooms all summer. When contained within the Buxus hedging, and underplanted with English Lavender, these colours work in harmony together. Plant the Box Hedge at 0.2m spacing, nice and close so they can form a tight hedge as quickly as possible. Buxus is a fantastic hedging plant, a twice-yearly trim to keep shape and you’re done. And the best part - if you don’t have time to weed the garden for a few weeks, the Buxus hides the weeds. You can use almost any type of Lavender, but Lavender Hidcote is the classic English Lavender, and maintains a compact habit and is low-growing. The deep purple flower spikes complement the green of the Buxus and white of the Roses. People often think of Lavender as a plant that needs replacing every 2-3 years as they can become ‘woody’ and lose that fresh look, when in fact, it’s not. You can get at least 10 years out of your Lavender if you trim it back hard and at the right time of the year. Once the Lavender blooms are spent, get in there and cut back as hard as you can, right back to the first sign of fresh growth at the base of the plant. This may seem, and look, radical but by doing this your Lavender will come back fresh next year and maintain its compact habit. Talk to us today for more advice on how to care for Lavender.