Hello and a warm welcome to my first newsletter as a Garden Designer.

I really believe that good garden design should be accessible to all. The benefits of being outside and getting your hands dirty are immense.

I love experimenting and learning about new plants so this newsletter is going to take you on my journey with me.

I have a tropical style planting area in my garden. Most of this was planted last year and some of it the year before. This style of planting is totally new to me but my hubby (the most important client) wanted an area to remind him of his travels. I was fortunate enough to go on a tropical garden course with Steve Ebney at the Salutation Hotel in Sandwich (sadly now closed). I cut the shapes I wanted out of the grass (2 intersecting circles) and then created the planting areas. There was a lot of compost and bark involved.

I had the misconception that with global warming this might be a low maintenance garden but alas no! Tropical plants need a lot of water (think jungle) and a lot of them wont take frost. So when it gets to this time of year its a case of deciding when the plants need to go to bed.

I have two red bananas that won't take any frost at all, in fact there used to be 3...... Last winter I followed the normal method of overwintering them, cut them right back and then stored them in the shed dry. It seemed a shame to do that this year as they have only really started to get going. So this years experiment is to dig them up and have them as houseplants. They spent a week in the greenhouse to acclimatise and are not in our new living room areas. They are blooming big but as giving a tropical feel inside. I just hope I don't kill them!

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I have finally got round to planting some bulbs. I have planted some Eremus Cleopatra (Foxtail Lily) and Frittaria Imperialis Rubra, in the tropical area, as the oranges will look amazing. These are both completely new to me so I'll let you know how I go.

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I have lots of daffodils to plant in the white border but I need to do a clear up first. Its sometimes hard to know what to leave and what to compost. There is plenty of weeding to do first.... I'm also nervous of putting them in the ground as I've seen a couple of squirrels bounding around the garden, burying (I assume) nuts in the corner. Bulbs are like the ultimate snack for squirrels, so if you know any deterrents for them I'd love to hear them.

If you still haven't bought bulbs I see that Farmer Gracy have a sale on. David Austin are running a discount on bare root roses (the most affordable way to get them) and now is the time to buy and plant bare root trees.

Good luck with your experiments.... Catriona x

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