I’ve had the pleasure of writing about the beautiful gardens of Cheshire since the beginning of 2022, but this month I’m much closer to home and looking at spring in all its glory in my own little modest garden.

Following the launch of my garden design business more than 10 years ago, I’ve enjoyed transforming gardens of all shapes, sizes and aspects, and being based in Sale, just 10 miles to the south of Manchester city centre, projects have ranged from small suburban gardens in trendy Didsbury to the more generous outdoor spaces of leafy Cheshire.  But home is the place to experiment, try out different planting combinations, and make my garden the place I can relax and enjoy the spectacle of the seasons. 

My garden is north-facing, and when I refer to it as ‘my little garden’ in my blog and on social media, that’s because it really is quite small. But being small doesn’t mean it can’t be beautiful, and owning a north-facing plot isn’t the challenge that some people think it might be.  Winter is the only time when the garden lacks sunlight, but come March and April, most of my garden enjoys plenty of sunshine and I can grow a wide range of plants. I also find that having more than one seating area is a huge advantage, especially when an early spring day calls for a morning coffee in the garden.

Spring is my favourite time of year and I confess I splash out a little on bulbs to create a riot of colour to start the gardening year. The borders are packed with snowdrops, iris and narcissi that return every year, but for me, it’s the tulips that are the real stars of the show. If there’s such a thing as a tulip addiction, then I think I have it. I like to vary the colours of my displays and always try out new combinations. One of my all-time favourites is a mix of Tulip ‘Black Hero’, with Tulip ‘Dolls Minuet’ and Tulip ‘Spring Green’. Tulips are such a cheerful sight in April and early May, and the perfect prelude to late spring perennials such as aquilegia, geum and the first of the alliums. 

I use a combination of border planting and pot displays to maximise the available space in my garden, and over the years the lawn size has been reduced to create even more room for plants. The latest venture last summer was to extend the area around a paved circular seating area to create a border of grasses and perennials. My husband David is always a little horrified when I announce my intentions over such ventures but he usually comes around when he sees the results.  

To accommodate the very full borders, I tend to lift my tulips after the flowering has finished: the dying foliage of several hundred tulips is not the prettiest of ways to greet late May. I give these away to friends and family and hope that at least a percentage of them will be successful the following year. 

When spring colours are at an end, and the garden moves gently into early summer, I find a positive advantage in a north-facing aspect, when the bottom of the garden is in full sun all day long and gives me the opportunity to grow my favourite sun-loving perennials in the best position to view from the house and main terrace. At the start of March so many of my bulbs are already in flower, and the tulips, most of which are late varieties, are poised for their moment of glory. 
There’s just so much to look forward to in the garden over the next few months, and so many other great gardens in Cheshire to explore.  
 
Places to see tulip displays in Cheshire over the coming weeks
⦁    Abbeywood Garden in Delamere
⦁    Arley Hall and Gardens
⦁    Bluebell Cottage Gardens
⦁    Cholmondeley Castle Gardens
⦁    Dunham Massey
Alison Moore of Renaissance Garden Design is a garden designer and photographer based in Sale. She writes a blog about he garden and other gardens she visits in  Cheshire. renaissance.gardendesign.co.uk