One combination at the 4 Season Garden is to combine the low growing, long-blooming, fragrant David Austin English Rose ‘Glamis Castle' (which has a reputation for being disease resistant) is combined with the dwarf Allium Karataviense ' Ivory Queen ' . The broad blue-green leaves and emerging buds of the allium provide extra interest before its bloom appears and the seed head will continue to provide texture after the bloom has finished. (This is a great allium for containers!).
The foliage of a variegated daylily, grown for its foliage rather than its bloom, picks up the silvery white of the allium's globular bloom as well as the white of the rose blooms. Thus one can see how the trend setting colour of white can be subtly introduced into a border. . The acid yellow of the Bowles Golden Grass (Carex elata ‘Aurea') provides the perfect contrast of colour and texture in this combination.
Staying in the 4 Seasons Garden we can see how visitors are welcomed by a planting featuring a combination David Austin English Roses including the of Charles Austin with its apricot pink blooms combined with the Paeonia lactiflora hybrid ‘Bowl of Beauty' (bright rose-pink Japanese peony with its creamy-yellow stamens) . This combination is then joined by the fragrant double pale pink peony, Sarah Bernhardt, (introduced in 1906). Hits of chartreuse are provided by euphorbias and Alchemilla Mollis (ladies mantle), which have great foliage as well as long lasting bloom. The Mexican feather grass or Stipa tenuissima ,which was in the earlier picture of the deep purple and white tulips combined with the nearby daphne retusa, has now covered up the dying tulip foliage and will continue to provide movement to the border throughout the summer. The euphorbia, stipa and alchemilla are all drought-tolerant and low maintenance .
Both of the above plantings reflect the sensuousness of the American Romantic trend. (see New Romantic Trend)