Inspiration

We had supper at the weekend with my friends Jane and Edward Hurst, whose old house may be remembered by sharp-eyed readers of World of Interiors from December 2006. They have now moved and Jane is planting the most amazing double border I have seen in a long time.

‘If you are planting under a copper beech’, she said, ‘make sure you bring the colour down in to your border’. D’uh!! So obvious when someone points it out to you. But I think this is why I liked my border so much, back in the spring, when the Queen of the Night and Black Parrot tulips were at their height. Now that we are edging to summer, it has lost a little something. Too much blue, not enough black?

When I started thinking about my border I was keen not to make something too tasteful, too ‘knowing’. I wanted a bit of glorified cottage gardening. Which I have. But I think next year it will be time to subtly turn the dial – without being too subtle, if that is possible. There is after all nothing original in these ideas at all… I am sure many of us yawn when we see another black garden.

But here are my wish lists for next year, then. I think the hollyhocks may already be planted, but I can’t quite remember!