My clients are keen gardeners with front garden planting which is reasonably successfull so my brief was to create a professionally designed planting plan, to enhance the existing planting where possible.
The existing Pyracantha works well to screen the right hand side so that has been retained but I felt that there was not a strong enough colour scheme or repetition of plants to provide a rhythm to the planting. Height was also needed to provide a view from the house and to flank the new Victorian path. I've suggested Viburnum x bodnatense 'Dawn' which provides highly fragranced pink flowers in the Winter.
The existing Heuchera 'Plum Pudding', Hellebores, Persicaria 'Red Dragon', Brunnera 'Jack Frost' and Salvia 'Armistead' have been retained and supplemented with additional plants to create swathes of purple, silver and green rather than individual splashes. Early season colour will be provided by Spring bulbs including Galanthus (snowdrops) and Fritillaria.
The new bin store on the Eastern side of the garden will be softened and disguised by a fragrant Trachelospernum jasminoides trained onto the new metal railings.
I also felt that the vertical surfaces of the house were under used and could be softened and 'greened' with climbers trained around the front door and the side of the house. I've recommended two Hydrangea's - Hydrangrea anomalo petiolaris with is semi evergreen and Hydrangea seemannii petiolaris which has a slightly longer flowering period and is fully evergreen.
I look forward to seeing this garden built later in the year.