Autumn Archives - Garden Design Sussex

Sandstone Paving- beautiful but troubling

Most of my clients love Indian Sandstone, with its rich varied colours, textures and ability to age gracefully. Historically in the UK we enjoyed York stone, also a sandstone, until it became too expensive for most people. Over the years I have become interested in where the sandstone we use comes from and how it is produced. Sandstone can be found across the globe in places where there once was high sand accumulation like riverbeds, deserts and coastal areas. There are many variations in colours from reds and yellows to golden browns as well as it being highly durable making [...]

By Andrew Staib|2025-02-11T14:09:24+00:00February 11th, 2025|Articles, Autumn, Blog, Garden Art, Places, Small Gardens|Comments Off

Designing with climbers

Using climbers in your garden design is a great way to utilize your space, particularly in a small garden, as well as bringing in design elements such as texture and colour to create a more three dimensional space. Also, by growing climbers up fences you can make your garden feel much bigger as the leaves of the climber will absorb light, rather than the light bouncing off fence panels which tend to make a garden feel smaller. Climbers are plants which grow vertically whether that be through trees or shrubs or up vertical surfaces like cliffs or walls. These plants [...]

By Andrew Staib|2025-02-11T14:08:29+00:00February 11th, 2025|Articles, Autumn, Blog, Climbers, Garden Art, Places|Comments Off

Autumn Light- Garden Design

I helped my client Paul Craig design his garden. He already had some interesting and original ideas and together we decided on the right plant for the right place. We used a round corten steel sculpture for a focal point and chose unusual plants like tree ferns, Senecio Angle's Wings and Cannas in amongst more traditional prairie planting making sure there was colour all through the seasons. The Deschampsia Goldtau grass, surrounding the new pool, captures the afternoon sun.

By Andrew Staib|2020-05-12T13:52:47+01:00November 14th, 2019|Autumn, Flowers, Grasses, Plant Combinations|Comments Off

Garden Design for Autumn- Using Colour and Texture

With Spring bulbs and Summer flowering shrubs making sure those seasons work in the garden, designing for Autumn needs to be subtle and draw upon not just colour but textural and tonal contrasts.This first picture below I took in West Sussex at Petworth house. A very good hot coloured combination as the weather gets cooler.The Cardoon, purple Asters and Miscanthus grass is one of my favourite combinations for a late Autumn border, majestic and detailed.Sedums and silver Artemesia provide a vivid backdrop for the sultry coloured Chocolate Cosmos

By Andrew Staib|2019-03-28T17:58:50+00:00September 24th, 2017|Autumn, Blog|Comments Off

Garden Design for Autumn- Colour and Texture

Over the next two weeks I will writing about Autumn colour and tone.Against a backdrop of fading light and yellowing leaves the colour of flowers in Autumn seems its most intense.Also by leaving the seedheads on Phlomis italics, Globe Artichoke and Eryingium, back drop planting with majestic grasses like Miscanthus and choosing bright colourful plants like Crocosmia, Dahlias, Asters and Sedums Autumn creates its own amazing tapestry which somehow is easier to contemplate than the restless and rapid growth of a summer garden.

By Andrew Staib|2019-03-28T17:58:50+00:00September 20th, 2017|Autumn, Blog|Comments Off

Garden design- colour for Autumn

With the smouldering greys, bronzes, lemon yellows and red wine hues of Autumn bursts of brighter colours can flash from the garden beds well into October and November. Here at the Prairie Gardens (see last Blog), Asters and Rudbekias shine like jewels as the days shorten. They are like Summer's little power batteries that have been growing all year to turn on brightly just as the sun shortens its stay each day. As well as these flowers, tall Eupatoriums with Miscanthus grass and the hot spots of Dahlias and Sedums under the Hornbeams give the garden a smoky atmosphere of [...]

By Andrew Staib|2020-02-06T13:01:17+00:00October 19th, 2016|Autumn, Blog|Comments Off

Autumn Colour

Autumn is upon us. Here is a bed we made last year, with Autumn Sedum, Veronicastrum, Verbena bonsariensis, Zantedeschia Aethiopica and Step tenuissima. I love how the colours pick up the golds, greens and purples of the far off border.

By Andrew Staib|2019-03-28T17:58:50+00:00September 29th, 2016|Autumn, Blog|Comments Off