updates from a project : Aberdour Golf Club planting
Planting at the Aberdour Golf Course, Spring 2023, photos by cojaro
In 2022, Hastate Design created a new planting for the outdoor seating area at the Aberdour Golf Club, Fife.
Since then, we have been taking care of the maintenance and the further development of this planting design.
Last year we also designed and implemented a new planting for the entrance to the Aberdour Golf Club.
Both of these planting design projects are developing really well, with more volume, height and colourful blooms coming this year.
Key features
During last year most of the plants in the main planting, near the golf club, increased in the size significantly, with Nassella tenuissima grass, a prominent feature.
It adds softness, movement and a naturalistic quality to the overall look of the design.
It also acts as the main structure, the background, against which other perennial plants were introduced.
In October and November, the planting was enhanced by a beautiful array of colours, especially Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, with its intensive, big blooms, protruding through the grasses. It was indeed a joy to watch!
As winter approached a repetition of burgundy umbels of the sedum plants added a further striking, bold element into this planting.
The colour palette of the planting at the entrance to the golf course was designed to deliver impact via a broader variety of colours, often bold and contrasting. With autumn approaching the colours started to change subtly, with asters, sedums and rusty seedheads standing out, especially tall skeleton structures of Verbena hastata ‘Rosea’ captured attention.
Further development of the planting
With the spring approaching in a little more than a month, these two plantings will need a general tidy up to prepare space for the new foliage to come.
For the planting outside the club house the main task during the preparation for the spring would be to tidy up all the spent foliage of grasses and perennials.
As the ornamental grasses are the main building block of this design, it is important to look at each individual plant and decide if it needs some thinning and removal of dead foliage.
When thinking about the longevity of this planting design it is important to look at all self-seeded tufts of grasses and other perennials, like for example sedum plants, that could continue making much desired impression in colour and form.
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, Spring 2023, photos by cojaro
This year it would be good to look into adding some more perennial plants, for example Verbena hastata ‘Rosea’ or Calamagrostis tall grasses, that stand out in the overall planting at the entrance to the golf course. These perennials could be divided and planted again to make even bolder visual impact.
There is also a variety of low growing, carpeting plants, like for example Prunella grandiflora 'Bella Deep Rose', that could also be divided and planted in between other taller perennials, to ensure the minimal soil exposure.
Recording the development of planting
In March last year we started recording the development of the main planting design for the Aberdour Golf Club. A few weeks ago, we finished recording the last, winter part, of this video.
The idea is to show the progress and the changes to the plants across all seasons.
We worked with cojaro, and we are very much looking forward to see the final edit of this video, which will highlight the colours, textures and forms of plants within the seasonal frame.
We will be sharing this exciting new video soon.