All around me people are understandably sacrificing their front gardens for parking, but I am holding fast to the sunniest spot on my plot to create a unapologetic burst of blowsy colour from late spring right into the early autumn.
I love this small Eryngium bourgatii 'Picos Amethyst' - it's the perfect edging plant in a sunny spot. I've planted it next to some soft Stachys byzantina and a gorgeous purple Salvia verticillata 'Purple Rain' which flowers all summer long.
Another pretty combination is this Catananche cerulea which is also long flowering with this pale pink mallow Sidalcea 'Elsie Heugh'. The eagle eyed amongst you will spot Brunnera 'Jack Frost' a shade lover that exists fairly happily in full sun and provides a lovely silver foil for the taller plants.
The view from the front door shows the perennial borders, the central lavender border around a beautiful small tree Cercis chinensis 'Avondale' - a shrubby relative of the better known Cercis siliquastrum or Judas tree.
Not all Euonymus are created equal. I inherited a couple of Euonymus japonicus with the garden and kept them but over time have clipped them into shapes - this gold variegated one is the perfect anchor for all the fluffier perennial plants.
Long flowering Knautia macedonia pops it's head through Verbascum chaxii 'Album' and Veronicastrum 'Apollo' (just about to flower) - it's a gem of a plant flowering on long stems from early summer right through into the winter.
My perennial borders are stuffed with plants that jostle for space in this small front garden. I'm afraid it's a case of do what I say not do what I do in this case even though the result is gratifying.
If you would like help designing your garden, please drop me an email, or visit my Web site for telephone contact details. You can also see examples of my work on my Facebook page and Houzz profile.
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