Hi all, I think that's spelled correctly! Have any of you guys used parterre's in your gardens? I've been thinking of having a parterre in my front garden. It won't be very big but I thought it might be a nice project that might suit my front garden. Gazania
I'd love a parterre garden and have toyed with the idea for a while it's just the cost that is putting me off as I'm a tad impatient and would like good sized hedging to start with and it works out expensive even for the small space I have in mind for it They do look fabulous though
Hi Lolimac, yes it could be costly I suppose. And I'm like you, a tad impatient. But, I think I could manage it though. I would have to buy very small box plants to begin with to keep the cost down. They seem to have shot up in price the last couple of years! Unless there are cheaper alternatives? Or make a very small parterre? Gazania
@Gazania ...I've been looking at lots of different Hedging but from what I've seen there isn't a lot in it...Lonicera Pileata and Ilex Crenata seem to have shot up in price too,everyone must be having the same idea....I have this fear of the dreaded Box blight but I do prefer Buxus overall...apart from my impatience the bigger and more established plants would fair better in my garden against chickens
Well, does the parterre have to be a form of hedging? I've thought of growing a whack of flowers from seed and using them in place of hedging. I would then have a square of grass in the middle, and in the middle of this a round buxus ball in a little square of soil. If that makes sense? The flowers could be an upright variety, astilbe perhaps? Wotcha think? Gazania
Well thinking about it I don't suppose it does Gazania...but the idea of a parterre is a formal symmetrical design which you may not get with the use of flowers as a 'hedge'...it's certainly a different approach but I think it would need dividing with 'pathways' ..ie...grass or gravel or it could look more like a flower border...Just my opinion
Apart from your impatience I took cuttings of Box about 3 years ago and they are now knee-high plants itching to be planted out. I reckon I have about 800-1,000 of them. They will need planting at 9" centres I think (for Parterre) thus lots needed and thus 'spensive :( I think they have always been expensive I would figure on £2 each for "bulk purchase" Ilex crenata is possibly even more expensive, and I think it may be slower growing? Can be anything I reckon How about Lavender? (especially one of the smaller ones) I'm now unsure about using Box for mine, because of Box blight. Thinking of using my Box for border-edging instead. Considering using Euonymous for the Parterre instead ... two different varieties for their colour-variations as I want to make a knot-garden. Typically these looks like this: but my wish is to make one along the lines of a Celtic Knot: which looks much the same as above, so perhaps something more intricate:
Kristen many thanks. A Celtic design. Now that's adventurous! Using box does seem to be a gamble from what I've seen. It would be a great pity to put so much effort into something and then having to tear it out! I have used lavender in the garden before as a very low dividing hedge, it works quite well. And there is the added bonus of nice smelling flowers too. Gazania
I'm on that pivoting-edge for my decision too. Pity to throw the plants I have raised though, so I'm going to run a land-drain in the planting trench and hope that I can keep them dry enough that they will survive.
