Rebecca Govier: ‘Thanks to a chance conversation the purchase was made’

WHAT IS wonderful about working with plants is that you never get bored. With more than a million known flowering plants and new species being discovered all the time, you are always coming across something new.

So where are the best places to find new plant ideas? Just looking out to my small shady north-west facing garden tells a few stories.

To the right of a green painted shed (a practical focus point of an elliptically shaped lawn) is a Japanese tassel fern (Polystichum polblepharium) from Growforth Nursery in Fife, discovered while browsing for clients. Its pointed dark evergreen leaves contrast beautifully with the neat, lime green of Skimmia x confusa ‘Kew Green’. Skimmias generally prefer semi-shade (they scorch when placed in sun) but this one thrives in sunnier spots. I was a late starter when it came to discovering its fine attributes (tidy habit, glossy elegant leaves and eye-catching flower heads), but thanks to a chance conversation with another garden designer and a mention in The RHS magazine, the purchase was made.

To the left of the shed is a neatly clipped box ball, anchored by the glossy, grass-like foliage of our native woodrush Luzula syvatica, a surprise find in Lidl. The dark green form of the box makes a great foil for the dancing golden plume-like flowers of the rush, L. syvatica ‘Marginata’, a form with cream-edged leaves, is on my wanted list.

Magazines, garden centres, nurseries and conversations with plant-minded friends are where most of my new plant-purchasing ideas are gleaned. Garden visits tend to reveal plant combinations, rather than new plants, with most gardens offering at least one idea for you to take home. Meanwhile, The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh gives you a taste of just how many garden-worthy plants there are – many of which are not yet in cultivation.

Rebecca Govier, Garden Designer (0781 750 5571)

[email protected] greenedgegardendesign.co.uk