England's Gardens

A beautiful 3-tiered garden in Patcham is being cared for now by England's Gardens. The lawn needed cutting and edging and some of the shrubs, such as Berberis and Common Privet have been cut back  to shape. It is really a very beautiful garden in need of general maintenance and up-keep. This week I will be pruning back some more of the shrubs nearer the end of the garden. The garden has a delightful pond with a cascading stream descending down to the pond. I can imagine it gives the owners great joy and relaxation in the summer sun. Tulips on display and a Lenten Rose on a bed banked by a retaining wall really bring some splendid colour to the garden.

This weedy spot in a garden in Preston Park needed some tender care. England's Gardens weeded the area ready both for a small greenhouse and for new planting in the Summer.

An excellent video guide on how to prune Passiflora (Passion Flower). Spring is the best time to prune the Passion Flower, as it starts to generate new growth. One website dedicated to the Passion Flower, www.passionflow.co.uk , has these tips on pruning... 'Leave the plant looking messy over winter & amp; prune only after growth has restarted. Even then always leave some long straggly bits. When pruning never cut hard to the main stems. Never prune late in the season.'

Ready for planting... Top Left: Dahlias ready for planting out for the summer. Top Right: A peacock butterfly rests on a Alcea plant. Middle Left: Stunning tulips going on sale for Spring. Middle Right: Striking Stipa tenuissimas are attractive in any garden. Bottom left: Dicentra spectabilis 'Bleeding Heart' are very delicate and charming. Bottom left: Lavender ready for planting. Also, at Stanmer Park you can walk around the park and see, among cherry trees and some lovely plants, these spectacular Cedar of Lebanon trees. This is my personal favourite tree pictured above. Majestic. Stanmer Park also has a little cafe where you can get great food, coffee and tea. It is a lovely day out for individuals and is very family friendly. Highly recommended.

I recommend a trip to Highdown Gardens in West Sussex, near Goring by Sea. The tulips have yet to emerge but the Helleborus orientalis (Lenten Rose, pictured above) and anenomes are out in full colour, not forgetting the glorious Spring daffodils swaying in the breeze. Highdown Gardens opened on April 4th and closes for the winter around October. If you live in the region, it is very much worth a visit. The anenomes (left) are particluarly striking at the moment and I thought the small path lined with them was charming. Click here to visit the website of the gardens, ran and maintained by Worthing Borough Council.

Before: These evergreens needed cutting right back at the Preston Park garden, having not had some tender gardening care for quite a while. Billy, the dog, looks on as England's Gardens gets to work on getting the Brighton garden back up to scratch.... After: These shrubs are back to their best having been given some pruning treatment in a day's work, ready for some planting for some hot colour in summer.The Bay tree (Laurus nobilis) in particular has been taken down to give the garden some perspective again. Below Right: Using an extended ladder, I was able to cut back rampant Wisteria siniensis that had not been pruned the year before, freeing the beautiful shuttered windows of this 1850s built Brighton house from the Wisteria, ready for it to blossom in May. Not for the faint of heart! Don't worry, even though I am not in the second picture, I am still safe, alive and in one piece.