Hello! We are Ross & Ian – The Fixer Upper’s, known on Instagram for our house and garden renovations. We are currently embarking on our second renovation of a Victorian House and Garden in Hampshire and working with Hillier to bring our garden ideas to life!
Catch up with us on Instagram @ross_and_ian
This is the second of our ‘Top Gardening Picks’ Series and we are so happy to be partnering with Hillier to share with you some of our favourite plants – all of which are grown at the Hillier nurseries in Hampshire!
Founded in 1864 by plantsman Edwin Hillier, the company remains family-run with the fifth generation now actively involved in the family business, looking to inspire the creation of green living spaces for now and the future. Through the Hillier plant nursery situated in Hampshire, over one million plants are grown each year!
Over the years, Hillier has been responsible for numerous plant introductions, many of which have become essentials in British gardens and it continues with the tradition of innovation and the introduction of new garden plants in the present day. Along with plant introductions, Hillier is also the most successful exhibitor in the history of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, having been awarded 74 consecutive gold medals!
As we head into April, our gardens are now full of life. We are starting to see signs of what is to come, with all the Tulips and Alliums taking shape, ready to give us a sea of colour by the end of April/ early May. The roses – having been pruned months earlier – are full of new shoots, ready to host a series of blooms in the summer. Oh, that reminds us, don’t forget to prune your Hydrangeas and Fuchsias if you haven’t already.
Spending just a few hours in the garden in April can make a huge difference. We have been busy tidying up our garden, cutting back last year’s perennials as new growth emerges, and keeping weeds at bay before they get a chance to take over!
April is an excellent time to feed shrubs and plants, ensuring you get the best results year after year.
As the weather is warming up, we have also started laying grass seeds for our new lawn paths in our garden. April is the perfect time to either over-seed a current lawn or lay a new lawn from scratch. Doing it in April means you should see a beautiful lush green lawn in time for May!
We have selected plants that would work well in any garden border and expect to see some of these making an appearance in our garden this year!
Buddleja davidii ‘Royal Red’
Beautiful deep crimson pink colour that will fill a corner of your border perfectly. Just remember to prune it back hard every spring as flower appear on new growth.
Hillier plant care advice
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water |
| 4m x 4m | Prune hard in the spring to keep growth compact | Moist, but well-drained soil | Full sun. | Keep well-watered until established. |
Visit your local Hillier Garden Centre to purchase.
Convolvulus cneorum
A hardy, compact, evergreen shrub with wonderful silvery foliage and a bright white flower.
Hillier plant care advice
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water |
| 0.6m x 0.9m | Prune lightly after flowering to keep in shape | Moist, but well-drained soil | Full sun. | Keep well-watered until established. |
Visit your local Hillier Garden Centre to purchase.
Deutzia x hybrida ‘Cherry Dream’
A bushy medium-sized shrub. Flowers are produced in early summer and are a soft pink on the outside with a lilac pink centre. Looking for some bright early colour then this is for you!
Hillier plant care advice
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water |
| 1.5m x 1.5 m | Prune young plants to encourage a bushy habit | Moist, but well-drained soil. | Full sun to part shade | Keep well-watered until established. |
Visit your local Hillier Garden Centre to purchase.
Star Pick – Gladiolus communis subsp. Byzantinus
One of our star picks to buy this month – long spiked flowers with a deep magenta colour. This plant likes a lot of sun so plant in a South-facing or West-facing boarder.
Hillier plant care advice
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water |
| 0.75m x 0.1m | Tidy after foliage dies down if necesary | Any good, well-drained soil. | Full sun. | Keep well watered until established. |
Visit your local Hillier Garden Centre to purchase.
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’
Do you even have an English garden without Lavender? A must have in any cottage garden. Highly attractive to bees and other beneficial insects. Beautiful in boarders or in patio pots, makes a fantastic informal hedge.
Hillier plant care advice
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water |
| 0.6m x 0.8m | After flowering, remove old flower stalks and lightly trim foliage to shape | Moist but well-drained soil. | Full sun. | Keep well-watered until established. |
Visit your local Hillier Garden Centre to purchase.
Lupinus ‘Blacksmith’
A hardy perennial with palmate, mid-green leaves. Tall, upright, terminal racemes of dark purple and white bicolour from early summer. Ideal for giving height and colour to the herbaceous or mixed boarder.
Hillier plant care advice
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water | Caution |
| 0.7m x 0.4m | Remove faded flower stems as necessary. Protect from slugs and snails | Light, well-drained soil. | Full sun to part shade. | Keep well-watered until established. | Harmful if eaten |
Visit your local Hillier Garden Centre to purchase.
Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’
Another plant from the garden of our 1930s fixer-upped. A hardy, upright, deciduous shrub with deep purple, three-lobed leaves. Clusters of small white, pink-tinged flowers are produced in summer. Great in a mixed boarder for a splash of alternative colour.
Hillier plant care advice
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water | Caution |
| 2.5m x 2.5m | Prune to shape in winter or early spring | Moist but well-drained soil | Full sun to part shade | Keep well-watered until established. | Harmful if eaten |
Visit your local Hillier Garden Centre to purchase.
Silene diocia ‘Rollie’s Favourite’
A hardy, mould-forming, semi-evergreen perennial with dark green leaves. In late spring and early summer, clusters or pink flowers with white eyes are produced on branching stems. A perfect cottage-garden plant for mixed or herbaceous borders.
Hillier plant care advice
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water |
| 0.45m x 0.3m | Remove faded flowers to encourage re-blooming | Moist, but well-drained soil | Full sun | Keep well-watered until established. |
Visit your local Hillier Garden Centre to purchase.
Weigela Black and White
Another great plant for a small garden. It has purple-to-bronze flushed, dark green leaves then clusters of fragrant, funnel-shaped, white flowers appear from late spring into summer. Great for a mixed border or in a container.
Hillier plant care advice
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water |
| 0.5m x 0.8m | Cut back flowered stems to strong shoots below the spent flowers in midsummer | Moist, but well drained soil | Full sun to partial shade. | Keep well-watered until established. |
Visit your local Hillier Garden Centre to purchase.
Iris germanica ‘Superstition’
A hardy perennial with sword-like green leaves. The flowers are dark purple-black, with a blue-purple beard when produced in early summer. Ideal for planting in mixed, herbaceous or cottage gardens for some early colour.
Hillier plant care advice
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water | Caution |
| 1m x 0.5m | Remove spent flowers before seed-heads form. Cut back leaves in autumn | Any good, well-drained soil. | Full sun. | Keep well-watered until established. | Harmful if eaten |
Visit your local Hillier Garden Centre to purchase.
About Ross & Ian
Ross and Ian met in June 2014 and purchased their first property together in August 2016, a 1930’s semi-detached house in Berkshire which was in need of being ‘fixed up’. The house has been rented out for 19 years so was in need of some serious TLC, a lot of the original features were moved (including fireplaces and internal doors) which meant the house had lost its charm and character and this was something Ross and Ian wanted to add back to the house.
So with an exciting renovation challenge ahead, Ross and Ian decided to document their journey through Instagram as a way of looking back on all the things they would go on to achieve as well as share updates with friends and family, and so, ‘Our 1930s Fixer Upper’ was created.
Fast forward to 2022 and now with an audience of over 100,000 followers, Ross and Ian have sold their 1930s home and have moved into a new Victorian ‘fixer upper’, that is once again in desperate need of being brought back to its former glory.
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