Garden pro's £3.99 fast-growing flower from Lidl blooms all summer & brings ‘romance' to your outside space
Butterflies zig zag from scented clematis and roses to foxgloves and jasmine climbing round your door - as water softly gurgles from a fountain.
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Sound good?
Then you'll probably be a fan of romantic gardens.
They've been around for about 300 years - initially designed as a reaction to the strict formal, geometrical designs that went before them.
But what's great - and why they're emerging as a serious trend this year - is that they're easy to create in your outside space, look stunning - and promote positive mental health.
Garden designer Nilufer Danis is building a romantic garden called 'The Three Graces of Galicia' at RHS Hampton flower show - which starts on Tuesday - and is a big advocate for creating beautiful, serene spaces that evoke a sense of calm and wellbeing but are also designed with the environment in mind.
She told Sun Gardening how to create your own.
'Forget about the more contemporary geometric shapes - and think more organic - like winding paths, with shaded covers like a pavilion, pergola, or lots of trellis", she said.
'You're aiming for lots of climbers - like roses, star of jasmine, lavenders and perennials like salvia - and you want scented flowers rather than evergreens and green foliage plants.
'And water fountains - with their nice trickle of water - are not only lovely, but birds and insects like them.
'Pastel colours are really important - they give a dreamy feel - and it's not very clean and neat - it should be more overgrown'
Alan Titchmarsh's top 7 plants that 'transform ugly fences with gorgeous flowers & fragrance' & they grow for years
From Tuesday, Lidl will be selling an English Lavender collection of three pots, for £3.99.
While Crocus has got pots of Salvia 'Victoria Blue' for £3.50 - reduced from £6.99.
English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) generally blooms from mid-summer to late summer.
French Lavender (Lavandula stoechas) can bloom in flushes from late spring to late summer, especially if pruned after each flush.
Nilufer's Romantic Garden at Hampton celebrates the power of literature, identity, and resilience through the legacy of three iconic 19th-century Spanish women — Rosalía de Castro, Emilia Pardo Bazán, and Concepción Arenal.
She added ''I wanted to create a space that celebrates strength, resilience, and the transformative power of ideas. This garden is a tribute to Galicia's rich literary and natural heritage — and an invitation for reflection on identity, justice, and the role of women in shaping the world."
Her plant list includes
- Camellia japonica - chosen for it's glossy leaves and large colourful blooms are common in Galcian gardens
- Hydrangea macrophylla 'Endless Summer' thrives in Galicia's cool, moist climate
- Rosa 'The Ancient Mariner' and Rose 'Empress Josephine' - to add fragrance, timeless beauty and a touch of history
- Polystichum setiferum - is low maintenance and supports biodiversity
- Tall topiary trees (Carpinus betulus)
Also in Veronica's column this week
News, top tips and a competition to win a Blackstone Griddle outdoor oven
NEWS! Families can discover a show themed around 'wonder' at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival - taking place next week. Alongside show gardens, pavilions of roses and thousands of plants there's an exciting schedule of children's activities, workshops and lively music. Visitors will be joined by legendary children's icons, the Wombles - with Womble sculptures and a Womble-themed trail around the gardens, plus costumed characters making an appearance across the weekend.The Go Wild Family Area hosts an array of family activities to encourage playfulness and stimulates a curiosity for gardening. Exhibits include the Schools Bug Barrels the Skinny Jean Gardener mini festival where Lee Connelly will be hosting interactive workshops and Kingston Forest School will provide hands-on nature-based activities. Children up to the age of 16 go free, students pay a discounted rate of £10.85 and adult full day tickets are £38.85. For tickets visit www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-hampton-court-palace-garden-festival
NEWS! A baobab tree in the Rainforest Biome at the Eden Project, Cornwall is flowering in what is believed to be a first for the UK. The Adansonia digitata is native to Africa and is known as the 'Tree of Life' - because it can live for over 3000 years - and for its ability to support both humans and wildlife, providing everything from food and shelter to clothing and medicine. It can grow up to 25m in height and equally as wide in circumference, with spindly, root-like branches protruding from the rotund trunk, coining another nickname – the 'Upside-Down Tree'.
WIN! One lucky Sun Gardening reader can win a Blackstone 36inch gas burner griddle - worth £639. To enter visit www.thesun.co.uk/GRIDDLECOMP or write to Sun Griddle competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone. UK residents 18+ only. Entries close 11.59pm. July 12, 2025. T&C s apply.
JOB OF THE WEEK! Pots and hanging baskets will be struggling in this heat - water them daily. Leave your lawn cuttings to mulch the grass - locking in lawn moisture - keep greenhouses ventilated.
For more tips and gardening content follow me @biros_and_bloom
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