When I first met my client she wanted her garden "sorting out" in preparation for her daughter's wedding. She had been tipped off that a proposal might be imminent and, sure enough, the proposal was forthcoming and the date was set for 7th July 2012. A central timber pergola would be where the bride and groom would walk through to the marquee.

The original pergola

To cut quite a long story considerably shorter, the design was drawn up, the plants were put in place in March and then it was up to the weather to do its best to ensure that everything was in perfect bloom for early July!!

Pergola in March 2012 ready for planting

There followed a scorching two weeks after planting, a very rainy April, hot weather in May and the wettest June on record, not to mention the wind which was detremined to bash everything down and Izzie the dog who made a path through the plants on a regular basis.

However, despite a deluge on the morning before the wedding and the radio broadcasting flood warnings all around the country, the wedding day turned out to be sunny and dry - and this is how the garden looked:

The pergola on the wedding day

10th July 2012