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Ben Pentreath’s Tulip Border Tips

Katy Elliott — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:38:45 +0000

I have a pile of bulb catalogs sitting next to me at my desk with pages turned and tulips circled. I planted a few tulips this Spring but they were nothing compared to Ben Pentreath’s borders in England—the color, the combinations, the mass of flowers! All summer long anyone that would talk to me about garden would hear, Have you seen this guy’s garden??? I’ve been living in tulip envy and hoping that maybe I can create something similar to Ben’s borders next Spring. How amazing would be to see a garden full of spring flowers on my corner lot? Ben was sweet enough to share his tulip secrets with all of us! Be sure to check out his blog, shop, and website for more inspiration.

Ben Pentreath: “Planting tulips can be a daunting affair. There is so much to chose from: shape, colour, species, and time of flowering. It feels a little bit impossible to get it right. Last year was my first year in the garden. I had just cleared the borders of a mass of weeds and I was itching to get something up in the spring. Like most things, I find that trial and error and a bit of confidence go a long way – not to mention quite a bit of cash – tulip bulbs (at least on this side of the atlantic) can get seriously expensive.

My first tip, therefore, was to find myself a good wholesale company – the sort of people who sell to garden centres and suppliers. Their prices for 1000 bulbs are the same as for 50 bulbs from a pricier, more exclusive catalogue. The danger is that you get tempted into making some seriously large orders – be prepared for backbreaking work in the autumn – but the advantage is that you can afford to bring on the massed bands – which I think was one of the reasons my tulip planting succeeded last year.

Second, planting distance. If I’m really honest, I think I bunched them a bit too close together last year. This year I’ll be spreading them out a bit more. Plant your bulbs in drifts – say 4” between bulbs – rather than clumps – 1” or 2” between bulbs – and I think the effect will be a bit better. Planting depth – they always say the deeper the bulb the longer it will last (a bit more on longevity later).

Third, colour. I think this is the most important thing of all. I wasn’t quite sure when anything would come up – I’m still not! But I wanted to make sure that there were colour themes running through, which worked. In my hot border, it was a question of going all out – hot purples, oranges, reds. In my cool border – pale creams, whites, greens. I LOVE bicoloured/dutch tulips so these weave their way throughout. This year I will be planting 1000s more Queen of the Night – dark black tulips – which co-ordinate brilliantly with pale or hot colours, but help stitch the whole garden together.

I will also be more intrigued by spot hot colours. I’ve purposefully ordered some strong burnt orange tulips that I am going to dot through the cool border. Just to see what happens.

Fourth – shape. Personally, I don’t like stubby little tulips – especially the early ones. I love the stature and structure of Darwin hybrids, and I LOVE parrot tulips more than you can imagine. My only rule is – if it belongs in a french underwear shop, it doesn’t belong in the garden. So nothing too pink, and nothing too frilly.

Fifth. Longevity. The real pain of tulips is you go to all that expense, and then all that effort – and then the rumour is they don’t last for more than a year or two. My plan at the Old Parsonage is to have started with a bang, but then keep adding more fireworks. I made another massive order this autumn, which we’re about to start planting now. Either next years’ display will be even more manic, or some bulbs won’t have made it, in which case the new will hopefully supplement the old. But as I said at the beginning, the key is to find a wholesale company where you’re not paying through the nose to start with. One can be a lot more relaxed when each bulb has cost a few cents rather than a few dollars. Tulips in that way become a lot more intriguing than cut flowers – a lot cheaper, a lot more beautiful, and much longer lasting!

Last year, as I say, I went a little mad. Some combinations worked brilliantly. Others not quite so well. The beauty was the latter. Those were the tulips that you could go out into the garden and pick, in massive bunches, which looked great indoors – while all the time improving the effect in the border. I think that is known as a double win.

The company I use to purchase my bulbs: dutchbulbs.co.uk.

Thank you Ben! View more images from his gardens, here.

Katy: Stateside bulb catalogs to check out: vanengelen.com (best prices for large orders) and johnscheepers.com.

All images courtesy of Ben Pentreath

Making Wildflower Bouquets

Katy Elliott — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 13:52:24 +0000

Collecting wildflowers is one of my favorite summer rituals. Just before bedtime we took a long walk collecting queen anne’s lace, golden rod and pink beach peas from the roadside. My nieces created two adorable bouquets with great texture and composition, so cute! Below snapshots from our walk in Maine.

Blue Hydrangeas From My Garden

Katy Elliott — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:59:01 +0000

Blue hydrangeas cut from my garden after a torrential rainstorm. Their buds rain soaked brushed the ground. Seven blossoms pruned and layered into a white ceramic bowl to be placed at my bedside.

Flower School with Chelsea from {Frolic!}

Katy Elliott — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 17:00:27 +0000

A beautiful cabbage rose in my bouquet

When I was out in Porland, Oregon I attended Summer School hosted by a group of super talented bloggers. In my morning session I learned how to arrange a garden bouquet with Chelsea from {frolic!}.

At the beginning of class Chelsea explained best flower practices (tips below), each of the flowers we would be using and how to make our own floral frog using chicken wire. We watched as she effortlessly put together a bouquet. She began with the greens and added pink cabbage roses and peonies. She talked about creating swooping lines and working with the flower’s natural shape. In a few minutes her arrangement took shape. The end result was a beautiful garden bouquet that felt completely natural, effortless and had it’s own individual character.

A few tips I learned
Pick flowers from your garden in the morning or the evening
Always give your flowers a fresh cut at a 45 degree angle
Add bleach to the water and remember to bleach your clippers as well
Remove all leaves below the water level
Make a floral frog with chicken wire
And use floral tape over the top of the container to secure the flowers

My bouquet ended up being a little wild and bountiful. I think I used too many greens. It looked like a English cottage garden in a container. I really like Chelsea’s style because the flowers are center stage. She achieves this look by grouping roses in threes or odd numbers and composing the arrangement into a s-shape to draw your eye around. I have to keep practicing. Below photos from the class.

Flowers for the class

Chelsea teaching the flower class

My container with a floral frog and floral tape

Chelsea finishing up her bouquet

Snapshots from class including Miss Design*Sponge; love her expression!

My bouquet

Chelsea teaching a student, love the look of, Oohh I get it!

Amy from D*S took a photography class with Lisa Warninger and showed me how to reflect light onto my bouquet using a whiteboard.

Another shot of my flowers in my hotel room.; I did a little fluffing and rearranging

Another bouquet from Chelsea

My Baptisia in June

Katy Elliott — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:58:02 +0000

A lot of passersby have been asking, “What is that plant on the corner of your garden?” It’s Baptisia or False Indigo. I believe I have, Baptisia Purple Smoke, which is a cross between “Baptisia australis and White Wild Indigo, B. alba, that merges the best features of both parents in its dusky violet flowers, charcoal-colored stems, and gray-green foliage” (White Flower Farm).

I’ve been told by local gardeners it’s a very old perennial often seen in Colonial gardens. In Marblehead I’ve spotted them in borders and rock gardens. This year I put in a cage to help the plant grow upward; last summer it kinda flopped and grew out. I’m not sure if it grows up naturally or if it needs a little training? My Baptisia blooms purple flowers for about 3-4 weeks in June. By December the plant dies back down to the ground. I picked up my beauty up in Maine two summers ago. Check online here for purple and yellow varieties and here too.

p.s. tonight I’m heading to Portland, Oregon for a little blogger fun. Stay tuned for posts from the west coast starting tomorrow!

My First Poppy Blooms

Katy Elliott — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 18:52:03 +0000

Exciting things are happening in my garden this week: my first poppy bloomed! I planted this bright red beauty the first summer we moved in three years ago in August. The leaves came up every summer but I never got blossoms. Finally this spring my patience was rewarded with six different buds.

What I’ve learned about Poppies is they take time, they can lie dormant for years and suddenly appear. But once they’re established they can spread rapidly. To help this process along allow the seed pod to decompose. Some gardeners break the pod up and scatter or just let this process happen naturally.

Poppies are available in different shades of red, pink, orange and white. I planted a pink Helen Elizabeth bareroot last fall but unfortunately it didn’t come up this year. I really want to get my hands on Papaver orientale Louvre (white) and maybe a Papaver Patty’s Plum?

Planting Bulbs and Bareroot Perennials

Katy Elliott — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:24:30 +0000

A lot of you have been asking about my garden. This year was tough because it was really hot on the east coast. Last year it was incredibly rainy. I’m having a hard time figuring out what works in both situations. In 2009 our rainy summer my plants got huge this year, with the severe high temperatures the plants chugged along many of them frying in August even when I watered them everyday.

I feel like I have a better understanding what does well in my area. Phlox and Echinacea (I planted Pink Poodle, White Swan, and Pink Double Delight this summer) seem to do beautifully in Marblehead. I put in Russian Sage (I found a smaller variety at my local nursery) after seeing so many beautiful examples around Marblehead and in Boston. As I plan for 2011 I choose more varieties of existing plants as well as added a few new Spring bulbs. I realized last Spring I hardly had anything blooming in early May—I have peonies but they haven’t bloomed yet. Below my shopping list from White Flower Farm. I got my plants about two weeks ago. I finished up with the tulip bulbs yesterday morning. Hopefully everything comes up next Spring, fingers crossed.

Phlox paniculata Bright Eyes (I have a white phlox that has done really well)
Phlox paniculata Laura
Bearded Iris Dykes Medal Collection (classic!)
Early Surprise Tulip Mix (For some early Spring color)
Allium Gladiator (Have two of these guys already added a few more to bloom all the way down my border)
Papaver orientale Helen Elizabeth (I have a poppy but it’s never bloomed, trying this version which I received as bareroot)

All flower photos courtesy of White Flower Farm

Double Rose Peony Poppies Blooming

Katy Elliott — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:42:46 +0000

The peony poppy seeds I planted in early March are starting to bloom. I got about four plants out of one seed packet. The flowers last about three days. But maybe they would last longer if they weren’t being tortured by a mid-summer heat wave? Once the petals drop the inside looks like a poppy pod. Love! I hope they spread…

My First Garden Bouquet

Katy Elliott — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:07:06 +0000

Last night, I made my first bouquet ever from flowers in my own garden. None of my plants are really big yet so I can only pick small pieces. How pretty are the hydrangeas! I can’t wait for my lamb’s ear, sea holly, and peonies to grow in so I can cut big chunks.

Lesson learned don’t use catmint if you own a cat. I was admiring my flowers on my nightstand last night when my cat came out of nowhere pounced on my bed and launched himself onto my flowers. He immediately starting ripping my bouquet apart till he found two sprigs of catmint. Cat!

I had a great night sleep with the windows wide open and a cool breeze breeze wafting in. I love cool nights after a few days of extreme temperatures and air-conditioning. I’m not a hot weather girl. I prefer sleeping with a wool blanket or a down comforter all year round.

Pink Ombre Lupine

Katy Elliott — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:40:48 +0000

I’m totally in love with this lupine blooming in my garden. Doesn’t it look ombre? I love how the light petal pink blends to a darker hot pink. So pretty!