The Garden area
Opened in May 2021 - and featured on BBC Look East shortly afterwards - the area of raised beds is a place for us to showcase some of our favourite plants, trial new varieties, and try out and demonstrate different plant care techniques.
In the centre of the garden area is the Designer Bed. Changing every few months it aims to provide garden inspiration!
Scroll below to read about our current installation, Nature's Medicine Cabinet: The Medicinal Garden!
In the centre of the garden area is the Designer Bed. Changing every few months it aims to provide garden inspiration!
Scroll below to read about our current installation, Nature's Medicine Cabinet: The Medicinal Garden!
The Designer Bed
There have been 12 installations in the Designer Bed (so far!). Click on the photos to find out more.
ORANGES & LEMONS
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT
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PRAIRIE PLANTING
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IT CAME FROM JAPAN
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DEER PROOF GARDEN
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HOLIDAY AT HOME: THE EXOTIC GARDEN!
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Showcase beds
NEPETA BED
REDONE FOR 2024!
Also known as Catmint and Catnip. An aromatic perennial plant beloved by moggies, as well as by bees and other pollinators. Best in full sun and well-drained soils. We are showcasing some of the less commonly found types, alongside old favourites Six Hills Giant and Walker's Low, and some of the many new varieties. We are looking to compare flowering times, colour and habit. |
ENGLISH LAVENDER BED
REDONE FOR 2024!
This year the bed showcases the bestselling English Lavenders, showing the different heights, habits and flower colours. Lavenders are best in full sun and well-drained soils. Bee-friendly, they keep their aromatic leaves all year-round, providing welcome structure and interest in winter cottage garden borders. They should be sheared annually to stop them getting straggly. |
GERANIUM BED
REDONE FOR 2024!
We consider these perennial plants must-haves for every garden. Highly reliable and easy to care for, there is a Geranium for every situation, whether you are growing in sun or shade, want low-growing carpets of flowers or something more substantial. Here we showcase some of the many types available. |
AGASTACHE & ACHILLEA
NEW FOR 2024!
Two different perfect-for-pollinator perennials that thrive in poor, dry soils. In this bed we are trialling and comparing newer dwarf varieties against tried & tested favourites. We'll be looking for heights, flowering times and general vigour throughout the summer. |
ERYSIMUM
NEW FOR 2025!
These fragrant cottage garden perennials are superb choices for the borders as they usually come into bloom well before most other perennials but continue to flower throughout the summer. In this bed we are trialling some of the many new varieties to see if they perform as well as their older compatriots. |
ORNAMENTAL GRASSES
NEW FOR 2025!
Ornamental grasses can be wonderful for adding vertical and arching shapes in the garden, as well as movement. Most really come into their own later in the season, particularly as part of prairie planting schemes. In this bed we are showcasing some of our favourites, giving them the space they need to show themselves to their best. |
Showcase beds
WOODY SALVIAS
BEING REDONE FOR 2025!
An extremely popular plant of modern times! Numerous new varieties of woody-stemmed Salvias have been introduced in the 21st century. Here we showcase some of our favourites, and trial others new to us. Cut by half in July and again in late autumn for long flowering and a neat shape. |
VIGOROUS PERENNIALS
REDONE FOR 2024!
A chance to shine for some of the plants we grow and sell! These are types that are constrained by being grown in pots, and here we give them the root-space they need to look their best. Some do have large ultimate sizes, but others are just much happier growing in the ground than they are in pots. |
PLANTS FOR POOR SOILS
REDONE FOR 2024!
The soil here in Newbourne and the surrounding area is sandy, stony and low in nutrients. In this bed we showcase some of the plants that should thrive in the dry conditions. The easiest way to garden is to work with the conditions you have! |
Trial & showcase beds
FLOURISH PLANTS
REDONE FOR 2024!
Members of our Flourish rewards club earn points for free plants. Alongside old favourites, the Flourish range often includes new varieties, which members trial for us. In this bed we are trying out some of this season’s new-to-us plants. Sign up to the club for free at the till or at www.katiesgarden.co.uk/flourish |
PREDATORY INSECTS
REDONE FOR 2024!
Encourage the Circle of Life in your garden! Predatory insects such as ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies will help keep aphids and other pests in check without you having to lift a finger. This bed features some of the plants that will attract these useful bugs to your garden. Generally they prefer flowers with flat heads that can act as landing pads to make it easy for them to gather the pollen. |
MINIATURE DAFFODILS
PAST BED
We sell a wide assortment of miniature daffodils at Katie's Garden, both as loose bulbs in the autumn, and as potted plants in the springtime. With this seasonal bed we wanted to showcase the range while also using it to compare and contrast flowering times, heights and fragrance. Use the link above to see what we found out! |
Demonstration beds
CHELSEA CHOP BED
PAST BED: Many later-flowering perennials benefit from a prune in late May - around the time of the Chelsea Flower Show.
Plants are cut back by about half. This makes for shorter, stockier plants later in the season, which are less likely to flop about or get damaged in the wind. Half of the bed gets chopped, with the other half left for comparison. |
HAMPTON HACK BED
PAST BED: Many early-flowering perennials benefit from a prune in early July - around the time of the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.
Most plants are cut back hard, whilst woody-stemmed Salvias are cut back by half. This encourages fresh regrowth and a second flush of flowers. Half of the bed gets chopped, with the other half left for comparison. |
THROW TO GROW BED
PAST BED: Throw To Grow seed mixes by Moles Seeds have been developed to provide stunning easily-raised displays of perennials and annuals.
Although similar in style to wildflower mixes, they should be more reliable and less fussy about where they grow. 'Summer Picking Flowers' and 'Bee Mix' were trialled in 2021. |
FLOWERS FOR CUTTING
PAST BED: To meet popular demand we introduced a dedicated range of plants for cut flowers a few years ago, which we now grow every summer.
These are annuals that are excellent for providing long-lasting floral displays in the home. They are bookended by shrubs grown for their foliage. |
SALVIA NEMEROSA
PAST BED: There are many types of Salvia, and here we showcase the ‘nemerosas’.
These are fully hardy, so should survive any British winter without difficulty. Given a Hampton Hack they provide at least two seasons of flowers a year. Many of these are established favourites of ours, joined by a few new introductions. |
PHLOX
PAST BED
These fragrant cottage garden perennials can sometimes be overlooked by plant shoppers as they do not grow particularly well in pots, much preferring to spread their roots in garden borders. This bed should give them the chance to show themselves at their best, and demonstrate the wide variety available. |