This week I've been working on a planting design for a North East facing courtyard with high brick walls on three sides and new black painted fencing on the left boundary.
There is a mature Wisteria sinensis which will be pruned and trained along wires on the wall and the new paint black trellis on the boundary.
My clients have a puppy so plants have been chosen for resilience and are sited higher where possible. The existing raised bed has been repurposed with a central bench and beds either side.
A Dicksonsian Tree Fern has a prominent position which can be viewed from the kitchen and is underplanted with ferns and Brunnera 'Jack Frost' to brighten the shady corner. Japanese anemones will provide some height either side of the bench, with trailing Vinca softeniing the edges of the raised bed and Salvia providing Summer colour.
A bespoke storage box will have a green roof containing ferns and Liriope and the bed by the kitchen will contain similar plants.
Bespoke wall planters on the back and right brick wall will contain a combination of plants of varying colour, form and habit including Vinca 'Atropurpura', Carex 'Silver Scrolls' and Heuchera 'Frosted Violet'
A purple leaved 'Acer palmatum' Bloodgood' will provide a striking focal point in the far right hand corner.
I look forward to planting this in the Spring.