The Gravel Garden

As our site sits in an exposed, open and breezy part of the Isle of Wight, close to the Coast it seemed wise to plant with nature. To this end we have expanded our initial small Coastal Gravel Garden of shrubby plants like Cistus, Euphorbia, Rosemary, Thymes, Genista and Ceanothus into a much larger affair. Large Trees have difficulty establishing themselves in very windy conditions and so we chose the black upright groins to give us height within the planting and also to symbolise the beach breakers here on the Isle of Wight.

We have expanded our list of plants used within this environment and are particularly pleased with the combination of grasses and perennials which have given a very long season of interest. Gaura lindheimeri paired with Stipa tenuissima, Kniphofias with Pennisetums and Eryngium 'Silver Ghost' with Helictotrichon Sempervirens. A further dimension has been given to the planting with the addition of sun-loving bulbs. These include many of the Allium family, species tulips and the gaudy magenta but much-loved Gladiolus byzantinus or 'Whistling Jack' as it is called in Cornwall.

Native plants from our Chalk Cliff tops also have an important place with Glaucium flavum ( yellow horned poppy), Erigeron maritima (Sea aster) and Crambe maritime (Seakale) looking very comfortable in this dry stony environment.

What has also been very evident is how easy to maintain this style of garden is so that it truly has earned the epithet 'Low Maintenance'.