Friday 4 December 2015

The best plant for Autumn!

Among my favourite plants for the end of Autumn, Nerines have always had a special place in my hearth and I very often include them in my planting plans. They often start flowering in September, and the last flowers last up to November. Nerine bowdenii 'Zeal Giant',  N. bowdenii 'Ella K' and the candid Nerine bowdenii alba are on top of my list, but I am always looking for more varieties to include in the schemes.


I was therefore delighted to find at RHS Wisley Garden a small exhibition of the genere, featuring common and more unusual varieties. 

Those are the 3 that caught my attention:
Nerine bowdenii 'Quest' RHS Wisley Garden - photo by Noemi Mercurelli
{Nerine bowdenii 'Quest'}
Nerine bowdenii 'Quest' with a stunning and rich lavender/purple colour, would fit the most romantic of the planting palettes.

Nerine bowdenii 'Catlin'' RHS Wisley Garden - photo by Noemi Mercurelli
{Nerine bowdenii 'Catlin'}
The stunning, candid Nerine 'Catlin' is very similar to N. bow. alba, but considerably taller.
Wouldn't be lovely to plant it in rows near a path in your front garden, and enjoy it everytime you are back home?

Nerine sarniensis 'Berlioz' at RHS Wisley Garden - photo by Noemi Mercurelli
{Nerine sarniensis 'Berlioz'}
And eventually, a little firework for your garden, Nerine sarniensis 'Berlioz', a fantastic splash of colour in your late-Autumn garden. I can see it beautifully with the last Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' of the season, in drifts among grasses turning gold, and near Cornus sanguinea in its Autumnal vest.

And you? Have you got a favourite Autumnal plant which is not a tree or a shrub? 
I would love to hearing from you!
Bisous, 
Noemi

PS. If your garden is starting looking a bit 'Blah'... don't panic and go to have at look at the most lovely plants flowering in December! There is still time to surprise the family! ;)

Thursday 17 September 2015

I am in Bergamo!

I am soo excited to be back in Bergamo (Italy) for I Maestri Del Paesaggio' (The Masters of the Landscape), organisd by Arketipos.
Here a little peak of Piazza Vecchia (turned in Piazza Green for the event). 
Follow me on Twitter (@mercurellis) for more updates!

Sunday 17 May 2015

Mysteries revealed!

Hello there, 
I cannot believe that has been 5 months since the last time I wrote on this beloved blog and I am very excited to be back!
But what has led me from writing weekly posts to make a appearance every now and then, mostly on bi-monthy basis?
Well...the secrets are now out... so grab a cup tea and a slice of your favourite cake...and enjoy the reading!

1) BESTIQUE'S BIG DREAM
{Hornbeam wath in the Flower Garden, leading to a Bespoke Glasshouse}
If, when I was a design student, they would have told me that within two years I would have worked with Anoushka Feiler, one of my favourite British designers, I would have laughed hard...
...but here we are!
As anticipated in one of the previous posts, immediately after the GROW London experience I had the pleasure to start working at Bestique... and in the last months the entire studio has been involved in the planting and logistic of 'The Big Dream', an amazing 3 acres private garden designed by Anoushka and due to completion this Summer. I lost count of the perennials already planted since March.... but we must be now in the reason of 30.000+ without counting shrubs and trees! You can see some of my favourite shoots below and read more about the garden here and here, on Bestique Blog.

Bestique Design - {A view of the Flower Garden. You can spot the Woodland Treehouse in the back - Photo: Noemi Mercurelli
{A view of the Flower Garden. You can spot the Woodland Treehouse in the back}
Anoushka Feiler - Bestique Design - Water feature crossing the Flower Garden bed - photo by Noemi Mercurelli
{Water rill crossing the Flower Garden beds}
Bestique Design - The log path in the Woodland Garden, next to the Treehouse - Photo Noemi Mercurelli
{The log path in the Woodland Garden, next to the Treehouse. One of my favourites!}
Bestique Design - The Treehouse area and willow teepee immediately after planting - photo by Noemi Mercurelli
{The Treehouse and its surroundings immediately after planting...you should see it now!}
Anoushka Feiler - Detail of the Treehouse - photo by Noemi Mercurelli
{A detail of the Treehouse} 
Bestique Design - The Laburnum pergola in the Fire Garden - Photo by Noemi Mercurelli
{The Laburnum pergola in the Fire Garden}
Anoushka Feiler - Outdoor candle niche detail in the Fire Garden - photo by Noemi Mercurelli
{Candle niche in the Fire Garden - another of my favourite details!} 
Bestique Design - View of the Flower Garden, leading to the Natural Swimming Pond - photo by Noemi Mercurelli
{Another view of the Flower Garden, leading to the Natural Swimming Pond}
{Our Wedding Day! - Photo by SeleneFarci.com}
2) AND YES.....I GOT MARRIED!!!
As you might have spotted on Twitter, I got married in Sardinia, where I come from,
in a sunny and glorious day of April...
...and despite all my best intentions there has been no way to conciliate the previous point and the planning of our Italian wedding (in just 9 months and 1000+ miles away) with blog writing :) 
More photos and details on that amazing days will be shared soon!
{Photo by SeleneFarci.com}

3) THIRD MYSTERY...NOT YET!
{Photo Credit:technobuffalo}
And the 3rd and last mystery....I am sorry...but it will remain a mystery at least until the end of the year...but I promise it will definitively be revealed within January 2016. 
The only thing I can say for now is that involve a collaboration with the wonderful Carolyn of Simply Roses and that we hope that everyone will be able to enjoy and visit this 'Mystery' in Spring 2016.

That's all for the moment! I leave you to one of the most exciting time of the gardening year, with the Chelsea Fringe (officially started yesterday!) and the opening of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in just 2 days time! 
Cheerio!

Noemi