Each year, I tell my self that I should make - what I call - our English garden a more permanent garden. But I can never do it. For I adore the spring flowering display, which is carried on by the late-comers through until early summer.
It takes the form of a square box, backed by a low-walled, raised bed. An antique Italian fountain takes centre stage, surrounded by a lily pond.
The pathway that leads to it from the driveway is of Bermuda grass, which then circles the banks of the pond and continues off in line with the path from the driveway to meet a tiny humped bridge, which leads to the lagoon in another room of the garden.
Therefore, on either side of the grass path are two deep borders each with straight fronts and backs, then each frontal edge gradating to opposing semi-circulars.
In these borders, I sow directly in situ. The soil was dug over and fed with manures in August, so that by the time I come to sow in early November the manure will have been well watered into the soil.
If I suspect that a species could prove challenging, I place a one-inch-layer of potting compost (mix two parts compost with one part of vermiculite) on top of the soil and cover the entire arena, once sown, with a dressing of vermiculite and finally, a tent of bird-netting - which Tilly the cat deems to be her own personalised trampoline!
I sort my packets of seed by colour and each plant's eventual height and place a large plank of wood over the arena, from which I sow, moving it as I work. This is very good practice for keeping one's balance!
I shall sow in pockets to the fore Lobelia "String of Pearls", which attains a height of a mere four inches, in shades of hot pinks, cool blues and purples all set off by frothy white.
Phlox "African Sunset" responds to daylight, casting either a muted or a vivid red colour.
This is a spectacular bedding plant, which I shall also sow in pockets as edging as it grows just six inches high.
Next to it, but set back from the grass edge will come the dwarf, bushy Nasturtium "Ladybird".
It promises an eight-inch-thick duvet of brilliant golden yellow flowers, each enhanced by five contrasting, claret-red spots.
Verbena "Peaches and Cream", at a dainty height of eight inches, arrives in the pastel hues suggested by its hybrid name.
It will tone down the gold of "Ladybird" and will look simply lovely left to flirt with the sky blue flowers of Verbena "Kingly Blue".
Verbena "Mammoth Hybrids Mixed", in purple, mauve, pastel pinks, sizzling pinks, ox-blood-red and swan-white, will break up the monotone sowings so far, giving a splash of mixed hues.
Then in the same, mixed colour-tones but to give a different form of bloom, I shall sow next to it, Salvia "Sizzler Mixed" with its 12-inch high, spunky and, very long-lasting flower spikes.
To complement the purples found in Salvia "Sizzler", I think the, 12-ins high, daisy-like flowers of Brachycome iberidifolia "Purple Splendour" will do very nicely.
Continuing the edging plantings, but raising the plant height to 15ins as I work around the most slender arena of the bed, I shall sow Cherianthus allionii, commonly known as the "wallflower".
Its rich orange flowers will pick out the yolk-yellow stamens of "Purple Splendour".
Wallflowers bring back such happy childhood memories.
I think next, should come Schizanthus "Dr Badger's Strain", with a swarm of orchid-like flowers in hues of creams, pinks and reds with an assortment of contrasting colours in the petals.
The flowers' hearts, in orangey-yellow, will compliment the orange wallflowers.
To follow and blend in, will be Godetia "Honeymoon" at 15ins tall. It displays upturned goblets in romantic single-tones of crystal-white and coral pink and others with a combination of the two amorous tones.
Working behind the low-growers and starting behind lobelia will appear the stately 24-ins tall Salvia transsylvanica, with oodles of royal blue flowers formed in spikes. This top-class garden beauty will effortlessly self-sow.
Then let's have 18-inch-high drifts of clouds of Gypsophila elegans "Improved Mixed".
This refined annual produces graceful flowers in shell-pink, rose, carmine and pristine-white, which are marvellous for cut flowers.
Statice "Art Shades Mixed" in sun-yellow, rose-pink, soft-mauves, reds, purples and white, will look lovely sown between clouds of gypsophila almost taking on identical heights.
We will go a little lower now to give height variation and an Indian carpet of Dianthus Sweet William "Indian Carpet".
This loveliness flaunts shades of reds, pinks and snow-white with red or pink hearts, each possessing a sumptuous clove scent. It should look good caressing the statice.
Rudbeckia "Goldilocks Improved" will work in toning down the purples, pinks and reds with its soft-orange hue and act as a backdrop to the back of the border, as it grows 24ins tall.
To the back of the border, too, will return Cleome, Nicotiana and Verbena bonariensis, all of which I have talked about in last week's feature.
But then, imagine the 18ins tall daisy-like flowers of Osteospermum "African Moon" in drifts, working away from "Goldilocks" but taking centre stage of the semi-circle.
Each snow-white petal is tipped in the same tone as "Goldilocks".
Papaver oriental "Brilliant" is the classic Oriental poppy with generous, vivid, scarlet-red flowers with ink-black centres.
Another classic Oriental poppy is Papaver oriental "Coral pink" with lovely ruffled silk, boastful, coral-pink flowers, each with a dark centre. Both take on a height of 32ins and flower in latish spring.
But, they will look so handsome punctuating the two borders.
Amaranthus "Autumn Palette" will give feathery spikes in cream and biscuit tones. This is a quick and easy to grow plant and another to work in the background, for it grows between 36-48ins tall. I hope that this has conveyed at least some ideas for your spring garden.
Many of the annuals mentioned here feature in my book Exotic Perennials & Annuals 'for Pots and Gardens in Bahrain'.
