Why I like foliage

This is the garden under the kitchen window. You can see the Virginia Creeper at the back is far from coming into leaf but the bright colours of the heucheras still add interest. They will continue to add colour, pattern and texture throughout the year.

The bird statue is part of a water feature that was damaged at the shop so I have reinstated it as a feature in the middle of this garden. At the back I have bromeliads which add there own impact with more strappy leaves.

I often think of my garden as a living quilt with colours, textures and design elements working together in much the same way as a quilt. This garden is a wide semi semi circle with the heucheras continuing on each side and a grassy piece in the centre.

Once Spring gets here the Virginia Creeper will provide a mass of green in the background. It disguises the industrial nature of the wall behind. Our house is built on the foundations of an old butter factory and though I have to keep the creeper trimmed to window height over summer it completely disguises the industrial concrete behind it.