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Island Garden Border Tour

Island Borders

Here is the part of the garden where I first flexed my garden designer muscles. I was sitting in the legendary breakfast chairs, peering through the bay window. It was winter, and the Island Bed looked totally silly - it was far too small, out of scale, with small finger shapes spoiling its main curves. The gardening book I was reading was right - the shape and bones of a garden were terribly exposed in winter.

I started remodelling the Island Bed edges, moving grass from here to there. Down came a Pittosporum, in went a Cornus - the perfect specimen tree, not too big to be near the house...

But the Island Bed still looked silly, like an after-thought, as if it had been dug out of the front lawn and abandoned. One day, sitting in the breakfast chairs, I found the answer! The Island Bed was to be expanded towards the Hump, then joined up to the next part of garden.

And so the new Island Bed came to be.

Those breakfast chairs ($10 for the pair) are still priceless in the inspiration they have given over the years. They look out at Mary roses, the nicotianas, angelica and salvias in the bay window border. Further out is the bossy Toe Toe which fills one half of the Island Bed. There's beautifully mown grass in all directions, and spring blossom, tulips and daffodils to look forward to. Here autumn catalogues are devoured and plans are made for next summer, while cats snooze in the sun.

Lilac Sensation... Sat 24th Oct 2009: In 2009, on a late spring holiday in Ontario, Canada, I very much enjoyed seeing Lilacs in bloom. My favourite, a hybrid called Sensation, was photographed in a private garden near Toronto. Great news - I've found one in a local nursery, and planted it in the Island Bed.
The New Shrubbery... Thu 9th Apr 2009: The Shrubbery - note the upper case letters - is a totally new garden area at Mooseys. The space was created by default when a huge pine tree blew down in a storm. Shrubs, roses, paths, a stone retaining wall, even a little sunken courtyard - The Shrubbery has it all!
Rustic Sandy Courtyard... Thu 16th Oct 2008: Hidden in my new Shrubbery is a small sunken rectangular courtyard, complete with two home-made recycled-timber benches. It's a wonderful spot for winter sunshine, with expansive views of lawns and gardens.
River Stone Wall... Thu 16th Oct 2008: The new stone retaining wall is in its infancy, but is already a favourite garden feature, visible from inside the house. It retains an area of newly built-up ground which I call The Shrubbery.
Island Bed Tulips... Sun 5th Oct 2008: Most of my tulips have ended up being planted in the Island Bed, for better or for worse. They are not often replaced - one year you see them, the next year you don't.
Spring Treasures... Sat 5th Jan 2008: The Island Bed has lots of colourful treasures which flower through winter into spring. I particularly enjoy this plant pairing - a large patch of Hellebores, nestling in behind a frothy purple-flowering shrub, name unknown.
Westerland Roses... Thu 17th Feb 2005: In early summer foxgloves grow through the rose Westerland in the front of Island Bed. This is a tall shrub rose with a beautiful fragrance, and repeat flowers throughout the later summer weeks.
The Fairy Rose... Wed 16th Feb 2005: The Island Bed houses a small collection of roses, most of which were already planted here when we arrived. The Fairy Rose grows as a weeping standard at the front of the border by the grass archway.
The Island Bed... Sun 13th Feb 2005: Island beds look totally different from different viewpoints - this is the general idea! My Island Bed looks at its best when viewed side-on, standing on the (hopefully green) house lawn. The plumes of Toe Toe used to fill the middle of the garden.
Flowering Cherry Blossom... Thu 10th Feb 2005: A grass path separates the Island Bed from the small garden by the car layby. In spring the flowering cherry tree in the next lawn looks particularly beautiful.
Dogwood Tree... Wed 9th Feb 2005: Some years ago, towards the back of the Island Bed I planted a Cornus, or Dogwood Tree. In my gardener's imagination I could see it instantly filling in the newly extended garden with its beautifully variegated leaves.
Red Penstemon... Wed 9th Feb 2005: Up the back of the Island Bed I grow colourful perennials like this red flowering Penstemon. There are lots of red dahlias nearby, and a bright green flax.
Yellow Spiky Dahlia... Wed 9th Feb 2005: The Island Bed should be renamed the Dahlia Bed - at least in the heat of mid-summer. Many original plain red dahlias are flowering by this time, as well as this bright yellow spiky flowered variety.
Patio View Island Bed... Thu 30th Dec 2004: It's difficult when showing photographs of an Island Bed to get any sense of position. Each side blends into the next if the edges are curved. The most common view of the Moosey Island Bed is from the house patio, looking at the Choisya shrub.
Mugsy in the Grass... Fri 28th May 2004: This is the littlest cat Mugsy in the grass by the Island Bed. She rarely ventures further from the house than this.
Flowering Choisya... Thu 15th Jan 2004: Two shiny green-leafed Choisya shrubs dominate the Island Bed. Some years they'll flower in autumn as well as spring, and I've taken many basal cuttings from them to grow new shrubs.
Top of the Island Bed... Fri 9th Jan 2004: The Island Bed has quite a settled history at Mooseys. It is possibly the part of the garden where the least changes have taken place - so far! This is the view from above, looking down to the house.
Sally Holmes Roses... Fri 12th Dec 2003: Two Sally Holmes roses grow in the middle of the Island Bed, behind the Choisya shrub. They fill the middle of the garden every summer with ftheir beautiful light-coloured flowers.
Pink and Cream Flax... Sat 26th Jul 2003: No part of the Moosey garden is without a warm coloured New Zealand flax. This plant brightens up the winter days, as the head gardener sits inside gazing at her sleeping garden.
Yellow Dahlia Flowers... Mon 3rd Jan 2000: I'm not a fan of dayglo yellow dahlias. This, however, is a soft lemon colour,and it appeared in the Island Bed a few years ago.
Toe Toe Grass... Wed 29th Dec 1999: I associate the plumes of Toe Toe with my childhood. We used to strap them to the backs of our bicycles like huge standards. They look good in a dried arrangement.
Veined Viburnum... Wed 29th Dec 1999: There is a large Viburnum Rhytidophyllum just through the grass gap, on the far side of the Island Bed. It has creamy white flowers in spring, and the leaves are distinctly corrugated.
Red Dahlias... Sun 12th Dec 1999: There are many red dahlias in the Island Bed. They put on a great show in summer, contrasting with the frothy white Gypsophila and the feathery Toe Toe plumes.
Nandina & Lupin... Thu 11th Nov 1999: I planted a Nandina on the corner of the Island Bed for colour and texture contrast. This picture shows the Nandina with a flowery Lupin neighbour. Its foliage is tinged with red in autumn.
Umbrella Grass Seed Heads... Tue 12th Oct 1999: This grass has interesting seedheads, and so far has not caused any problems. I grow it in the Island Bed as a filler plant.
Silver Lace Cineraria... Sun 10th Oct 1999: The leaf of the silver cineraria is delicately formed. This is an easily grown short-lived perennial, and should be more popular, even if only for its foliage.