Creating Warmth in the Garden

Posted on February 11, 2026 by johnshortlandwriter

Here, in the UK, we’ve been having the dreariest of winters with what seems weeks and weeks of mild temperatures, heavy overcast skies and incessant rain. There have been a few cold, bright days but these have been rare. The view from my window as I write this is of greyness reflected in grey floodwater where our little, winding river has overflown into the field below our house. Some days it has been so dark and gloomy that the electric lights have had to stay on. So it seems appropriate to write now about bringing warmth into the garden especially as it is the perfect time to create a new design whether it’s a single bed or a complete redesign.

*Floodwater below our house which fortunately sits high enough above it to be ok*

Obviously, sun is the most important and easiest way of creating warmth and the garden may already have a patio or other seating area in the sunniest spot. This isn’t always the most sheltered place however, and there is a world of difference between a welcome, cooling breeze on a hot day and a stronger wind that makes sitting there less comfortable. There are a number of ways to temper the wind without having to build a solid structure which quite often can create issues with turbulence elsewhere. The simplest method is by planting, whether a hedge or more open, looser shrubs. Trellis also works well – we’re aiming at filtering the wind rather than blocking it. The height does not have to be great to have the desired effect. The image below shows the early stages of screening using plants – it will also, in time, block out the unwanted view of the road behind.

*Screening around a small seating area using yew hedging which will become dense within a year. Note the bamboo to the left of the photo* *with its warm, golden stems*

For screening, I often use (as above) yew hedging which gives a good, dark green background and only needs clipping once a year. It can be bought at various heights and being evergreen, looks good all year round. Bamboos, now getting rather a bad reputation for being invasive are also excellent if they can be prevented from spreading too widely. There are some clump forming varieties which are more self-restrained. In fact, more or less any shrub can be used to make the garden or part of it feel warmer; the secret is to use those with coloured stems or leaves, or flowers that have a hint of the exotic about them. Bear in mind, ‘though that flowers are often fleeting.

*Fuchsia megallanica gracilis ‘Variegata’ : an example of a medium-sized shrub that is hardy, exotic-looking and beautiful*

*The fiery orange booms of the Trumpet Vine, here climbing through an old wire fence will bring a touch of the Mediterranean to any garden*

Although we’ve been talking about ways to make the garden feel physically warmer, it is through the planting of the smaller flowering plants that give the real impression of warmth and here the choice is almost limitless. The rule is to use strong colours and to keep the softer shades to the minimum. For the example I’m going to use here, I created this ‘hot’ garden which would be at its best during the summer months when the swimming pool is in regular use. For cooler evenings or for entertaining there is a vine covered pergola adjacent to a built-in fireplace/barbecue. Note the use of terracotta painted walls which immediately transports you to the Mediterranean. In fact. Some don’t believe that the two photos below are really of a garden in one of the coldest parts of southern Britain!

*The warm tones of the pool, paving and walls transport you to a warmer climate than the realities of an English summer!*

Golden day lilies blend beautifully with the walls of this outdoor fireplace and barbecue area. The grape vine hanging loosely over the beams give shade and the sense of being somewhere other than England

Nearly all of this swimming pool garden is enclosed by yew hedges for shelter and privacy; an existing wall has been coloured terracotta as mentioned above. Shrubs have been kept to the minimum: there are four Physocarpus ‘Lady in Red’ which has fiery new leaves which darken to burgundy as they mature. Using the one variety helps to unify the design as well as giving some structure to the borders. Two figs are trained against the wall and pencil-shaped Italian cypress trees also give that Mediterranean feel (see further note at the end of this blog).

*Transforming a cold garden into a hot one!*

*In January the garden was almost derelict, by midsummer it had been completed*

For the planting of the borders, the one against the wall only has catmint (nepeta). This is a useful plant for it smothers weeds and is equally smothered in blue flowers which compliment its silver-grey leaves. It is here that two of the Physocarpus are also planted to give a contrast in both height and leaf colour. As soon as the first of the catmint flowers begin to fade it is important to then cut off every stem to ground level. This may seem ruthless, especially as there will still be quite a lot of flower on it but within two weeks it will regrow and soon be flowering again. If left, the first flowering stems die back and the plant looks messy.

*The ball-headed flowers and dark leaves of Physocarpus compliment the contrasting Astrantia* *‘Claret’*

*Catmint (Nepeta) flowering elsewhere in the garden*

The twin borders are set back from the pool, and again Physocarpus are used as the centrepiece for height. The burgundy theme is continued with the deep wine-coloured leaves of Ligularia, the papery flowers of Astrantia and trumpet-shaped Day Lilies (Hemerocallis). The latter are an especially useful plant for they send out their bright green and sword-like leaves early in the spring and they never look untidy.

*The dark leaves of Ligularia contrast with the tiny orange flowers* *of Helianthemum. Later the Ligularia will send up spikes of golden flowers*

*Day Lilies flower all si=ummer if regularly dead-headed. This one is Hemerocallis ‘Little Grapette’*

For contrast, and to maintain the hot theme, I have mostly used oranges and golden yellows, the plants chosen to give continuity of display from June to the first frosts. These are interplanted with purple salvias and shocking pink echinacea to break the colour – not too many: just enough to emphasise how much orange/yellow there is, if that makes sense. This part of the garden isn’t used much for the rest of the year but the displays could begin in early spring with golden daffodils, especially the exotic looking orchid varieties, followed by masses of deep-coloured tulips and wallflowers. For the winter, the scarlet and orange stems of dogwoods would brighten the dullest of days. My client didn’t want too many pots or planters but I did manage to squeeze in two planted with the wonderful dwarf Pittosporum ‘Tom Thumb’. Summer pots filled with zinnias and tall spikes of fiery red or orange cannas would really compliment a garden like this, but it’s not to be.

*Although the same tone, the shape of the orange daisy-like flowers of the Ligularia contrast well with the trumpet-shaped Hemerocallis ‘Burning Daylight’ in the background*

*Pittisporum ‘Tom Thumb’: the new pale green leaves turn to burgundy as they age*

I hope that this post may have inspired you to be bold with your choice of colour. I’ve illustrated it with one garden devoted to this style of planting but it can be greatly scaled down to just a single bed or corner – the twin beds above only measure about 5m x 2m each. Below is a list of the plants that I have used which is by no means, exhaustive for there are endless possibilities to choose from.

*Two year on and the the twin borders glow under the dramatic evening light*

Plant List
Astrantia ‘Claret’
Echinacea purpurea
Geranium x magnificum
Geum ‘Princes Juliana’
Helianthemum ‘Hennfield Brilliant’
Hemerocallis ‘Burning Daylight’
Hemerocallis ‘Little Grapette’
Ligularia ‘Desdemona’
Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’
Physocarpus ‘Lady in Red’
Potentilla fruticosa ‘Tangerine’
Rudbeckia ‘Prairie Glow’
Salvia ‘Mainacht’

A note about the Cypress trees.
The cypress were already established and are now beginning to get too large for the space so may end up being removed. When reduced in size they tend to lose their elegant shape. I am inclined to replace them with Irish Yew which is naturally columnar in shape and withstands pruning. The golden-leaf cultivar would blend well with the walls as well as contrast with the dark green yew hedging.

If you’ve enjoyed this post and found it helpful and interesting don’t forget that there’s my book that reveals all sorts of gardening tips. Written in an informal, no-jargon way for the newcomer to gardening but also for those with more experience. If you’re not that enthusiastic about your own garden or have little time to devote to it then this is the book for you! Available from bookstores and/or Amazon.

Happy Gardening!

An Arty Family?

Posted on September 26, 2025 by johnshortlandwriter

Eighteen months ago I was contacted by a gallery in Cheltenham about their researching an artist for they had acquired four watercolours of London street scenes painted during a ten-year period from 1885. They were by Edward Angell Roberts who had lived with Mary Ann Shortland, an ancestral cousin of mine. Although they described themselves as husband and wife in official documents, Edward was already married to the exotically named Josephine Bartolozzi Vestry Anderson.

*New* *Street, Spring Gardens*
Edward Angell Roberts, 1885

Edward was born in Kennington in the English county of Surrey in1836. His father was a tea merchant and aspiring gentleman which presumably he became for by the age of fifteen, Edward was being educated at Christ Church Hospital, a school for sons of clergy and gentlemen. It was a good springboard for Edward for in 1855 he was promoted to Deputy-assistant to the Commissary of the Inland Revenue before proceeding to becoming Clerk to the War Office. In his spare time, he painted.

*Old Wooden Houses, The Strand*
Edward Angell Roberts, 1887

The four watercolours show great artistic detail of places within a stone’s throw of the War Office, in London’s Pall Mall. They are New Street, Spring Gardens (1885), Old Wooden Houses, The Strand (1887), Garden House, Clements Inn (1895) and Pump Court, Temple (1895). They have since been sold at auction to a buyer in the United States.

*Garden House, Clements Inn*
Edward Angell Roberts, 1897

Edward had married Josephine in 1858 and the census, three years later shows them living apart. Whether that was a temporary separation is not known for shortly after they had two children, a girl in 1864 who died in infancy and a boy in 1866. However, by 1871 he was living with Mary Ann and Josephine and the son disappear from record. It is thought that they may have moved to Ireland for the son reappears in the English 1901 census return and claimed to have spent time there. As for Edward and Mary Ann, they never married (or had children) for in his will, Edward leaves his estate to Mary Ann Shortland, spinster.

*Pump Court, Temple*
Edward Angell Roberts, 1897

I began to wonder if we had other artists in the family for several of my cousins, my sister and my father were all artistic, I always felt that the skill had passed me by until some kind person exclaimed that through my career as a garden designer, I paint with flowers, a description I rather hold onto. It is true that there are some similarities for a new garden is a blank canvas waiting to be given a backwash of green and then daubed with the colour shapes and textures of flowers. Below is a rather poor quality photo of one of my early designs inspired by a Japanese Imari plate which was, I suppose, quite any arty approach to take!!

*Garden design inspired by Japanese Imari Plate*
John Shortland, 1999

Another ancestral cousin painted and illustrated books on the town of Rye. Marian Eleanor Granville Bradley was the granddaughter of the Dean of Westminster Abbey, George Granville Bradley. Mostly remembered for her line drawings, occasionally they or paintings of hers are available for sale at auction. An only child, born in the United States, she returned to England sometime during the 1880s. She never married and died in 1951. Her pencil sketches of Rye appear very simple at first sight and, like Edward Angell Roberts, belie the attention to detail that is executed. Interestingly, a couple of her close relatives are described as ‘oil and colour merchants’ so it seems that art provided a living for my family in more ways than one…

*Ship and Anchor, Rye*
Marion Eleanor Granville Bradley,1920

And finally, there is Uncle Les – not my uncle at all but (yet another) cousin of my father and, in the convention of the time, known to me as Uncle. I only met Les the once for he died quite suddenly when I was young. However, I did get to know his widow well, so it came as rather a surprise when I was sent this little pen and ink drawing of (I think) a house in Kingston-upon-Thames many years after her death.

*Edwardian House*
Arthur Leslie Shortland, 1935

A few lines on Josephine. With a name like hers, curiosity got the better of me and so enquiries were made and she turned out, as hoped, to be ‘interesting’. She was a close relative of Madame Vestris, a famous, if not infamous actress, contralto opera singer and theatre manager. Madame Vestris probably deserves a full article of her own!

Family history research is always uncovering something fascinating, puzzling or new – I wonder what it will turn up next?

With thanks to Andy Shield of Brave Fine Art , Cheltenham www.bravefineart.com }for sending me copies of the four paintings

2024: A Year in Review – part 1

Posted on January 4, 2025 by johnshortlandwriter

As we enter the new year it’s always a good time to reflect on the past twelve months as well as to look forward to what 2025 may bring. For me, 2024 has been a busy year. I remember many years ago an ‘old boy’ telling me that when you reach the age of sixty, life is downhill all the way. I was in my thirties at the time and so believed him. I’m now in my early seventies and I can’t say that I agree with his pessimism. Funnily enough, he lived well into his nineties and, for most of that time, enjoyed rude health so he proved himself wrong too! The only way to tackle ageing, I’ve decided, is to embrace its positive aspects – no mortgage, wisdom (ha-ha!) and more time to do the things that matter to you. Of course, good health is important and maintaining balance and staying active helps no end. One of the reasons why I’ve not retired completely.

Tewkesbury, a town in Gloucestershire on the River Severn – the UK’s longest river – is just a few miles from the edge of the Cotswolds. It’s an ancient town that I have driven through dozens of times but early in the year I made the effort to actually stop and explore its narrow streets and abbey church. I hadn’t realised that when entering the church I would be staring at a suspended globe which, when standing 211 metres away from it, is the exact size and view of Planet Earth you would see if standing on the moon. When I first saw it ‘suitable’ music was being played but it was only after that had stopped that I found the exhibit strangely moving as it rotated slowly in total silence. That’s another thing I’ve noticed as I’ve grown older – how much I enjoy silence! The church is well worth visiting for it is now almost one thousand years since it was built and is one of the finest examples of early Norman architecture in Britain. Unable to visit? Then click on the link here to see lots of photos.

*The abbey church looms over the ancient houses and narrow streets of Tewkesbury*

In March, we travelled north to the county of Yorkshire to watch a friend take part in the oldest horse race in the country. The Kiplingcotes Derby has been run annually since 1519. Tradition sys that if it ever stops taking place it will never happen again so all through the Covid restrictions only one horse took part! For this race, the 505th, dozens of riders took part for it is a horse race like no other: no finely maintained racecourse but a series of roads, lanes, field margins and tracks, a real test of endurance for both horse and rider. Our friend, who had never raced before was taking part to raise money in support of the local hospice. She reached the finishing post in good time and raised over ten thousand pounds in memory of a close friend. The race has one other completely bizarre quirk which makes it unique in the world of horse racing – to find out what that is you’ll need to click on this link here!

*The oldest, continuously-run horse race in the UK*

Later, in early summer we returned to Yorkshire for a week’s holiday spent in the pretty village of Austwick. We had planned to spend our time walking for it is excellent hiking country. However, my partner was nursing a broken foot and, later, during a hill walk on my own there, I hurt my knee badly so we were both hobbling about instead (what was I saying about staying active?!) There is always a positive outcome to everything, I find, and so we explored by car instead where we discovered the Courtyard Dairy. To misquote Paul Whitehouse, “if you like cheese, you’ll like these” for we’d stumbled across one of the top, award-winning artisan cheese makers in the country. With a restaurant, small museum, ice-cream and wine shops as well as a huge selection of cheeses, we were in our element. For lots of photos of the trip – and not just of blocks of cheese, click here.

*The Courtyard Dairy – one of England’s finest artisan cheese shops*

*There are beautiful walks around the Yorkshire village of Austwick*

I have been very fortunate in not just living in a beautiful part of the country but also being able to make my living from being in the midst of it. However, that hasn’t always been the case for before I embarked on my horticultural career I spent twenty years in the world of retail fashions. When I left school I spent some months on a sheep farm on Exmoor – the remote, hill country, now a National Park, in the West Country. That short time farming changed my life for I met some wonderful and inspirational people there who left me with a yearning for the outdoor life, However, I was dragged away by my parents to work in the small department store which had been central to my family for the best part of a hundred years. Fortunately, I had a happy time there but the desire to be spending my days outdoors never left me. This spring it was thirty years since I sold the business to follow my dream and so it seemed a good time to reflect on those retailing years.

*The family store in 1994 when it was sold*

A few months later the blog post (link here) had developed into a full-blown illustrated talk to over seventy people followed by press interviews and a printed history of the store which had been started by my great-grandfather. I am delighted that the story of the family’s endeavour has now been recorded for posterity. By complete coincidence, I was also contacted by Exmoor Magazine and my memories of farming at Brendon Barton have been included in an article on Dick and Lorna French who were the couple who welcomed me into their lives – and changing mine by doing so.

*Recorded for posterity – the history of my family’s department store*

At the age of 42 I took myself off to study landscape and estate management for two years at agricultural college. It was a huge gamble and one that fortunately came off for I found employment as Head Gardener to the European Youth Parliament, an educational charity that brought teenagers from all over Europe to debate world affairs. With some Polish blood in me I liked the idea of being part of the organisation. Next, and still in England, I spent some happy years working for a delightful Swedish family – even after my role as Head Gardener had ended I maintained contact with them as Consultant overseeing projects such as the creation of a lake and an arboretum. My next move was to the Cotswolds to manage an historic garden, Kiddington Hall, designed by the architect who had created the Houses of Parliament. It was after that, that I decided to go freelance which culminated in the career in designing and creating gardens as well as the commission to write the gardening book.

*The historic gardens at Kiddington Hall*

Little did I think, when I began college that my career would include a stint at the Chelsea Flower Show, Channel 4 Television, creating a new literary festival and a study tour of Hungary. My latest – and final – garden project has been the most exciting to date. How fortunate have I been?! As before, the press picked up on the thirty year career change and a double-page spread in the Bucks Free Press newspaper followed. To read more about the gardens I’ve created, or just to enjoy the photos, click on the link here.