Geometric Garden

In 1999 garden designer Douglas Coltart came up with a contemporary design for this plot. It was built by some of his garden design and horticulture students from Auchincruive College, Ayr - one of Scotland's few remaining horticultural colleges. Using a modern metal structure at the back of the garden and formal clipped yew and holly, it's very clean. The colour scheme is fairly muted as well with purple, yellow, silver and green being the predominant colours in the garden.

In 2002 Jim planted a laburnum at the back of this garden. Since then it has been trained as an espalier on the metal structure. This form is particularly suited to laburnum whose flowers almost drip from the horizontal branches. Under this we have planted large alliums, which flower in late spring, growing through Alchemilla mollis (lady's mantle). The two narrow borders are planted with Artemesia stelleriana and Liatris spicata for late colour.

If you want to design a garden like this, then simplicity is the key. It can swiftly lose its impact if the planting becomes muddled with lots of different species and different colours. Any ornaments used in the garden must be very stylised as well; this is not the place for a brussels boy or naked ladies carrying urns. In common with the Sunshine Garden, however, it demands to be kept neat and tidy. 'Shabby- chic' doesn't work here.