Hello again! 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 (https://www.instagram.com/ross_and_ian/)
December is here, and of course, that means IT’S CHRISTMAS!!!! We can’t wait to dress and style our indoor and outdoor areas, and Hillier has a great range of real trees, lights, and decorations for every home. This month, we wanted to share a list of gifts that we would be over the moon to receive this year and hope your loved ones would too! So if you’re struggling for ideas for a garden novice or maybe even Monty Don himself, here is something for everyone!
Our Hillier Christmas Gift Guide
Manual of Trees & Shrubs 2019
Want to learn more about trees and shrubs and what would work best in your garden? Then this garden Bible is for you! It’s helped us decide on many different plants for our garden this year and is so informative.
The Burford Wellington Boots
Garden essentials! Not just for walking but for gardening too! When it’s wet and muddy outside, these Wellington boots are a must for every keen gardener. There is also £5 off with this exclusive online offer.
Cosy Gardener’s Gloves
Gardening gloves are essential, and with this exclusive online offer, these Briar gloves would make a brilliant stocking filler!
Kneepads
These garden knee pads are fantastic and help give your knees much-needed cushioning while gardening. No one said gardening was easy, but these certainly make it a lot easier.
Garden Tidy Bag
These garden clearance bags are such a massive help when tidying up the garden and fit in the car, ready to be taken to the recycling centre.
PH Soil Test Kit
Unsure of what type of soil you have and, therefore, unsure of what plants will work in your garden? Then this soil test kit is perfect for a loved one who wants to start planting more seeds next year but needs to know what type of soil they have.
Hillier Gift Card
Why not treat a loved one to one of the above gifts along with a Hillier gift card? The perfect gift for a loved one is the ability to purchase a plant of their choice.
Grillstream 3 Piece Tool Set
There is nothing wrong with longing for summer’s return; this BBQ set is a perfect present for the king or queen of BBQs in your family and will have them prepared for the first barbecue of next year.
Looking for something different to gift a loved one this year? How about a plant from Hillier, boxed and delivered to your front door? Use it for Secret Santa, add a bow to the pot, and leave it on someone’s doorstep! What a lovely surprise for someone! Here is a selection of plants we think would look incredible in anyone’s garden.
Acer palmatum ‘Beni-maiko’
Acer palmatum ‘Beni-maiko’ is a fantastic option for the garden all year round. Its fantastic foliage and striking colouration that changes throughout the year make it a great feature in both courtyards and cottage gardens alike. It is always interesting to look at, with stunning red shades in the spring months, then transitioning to pink-green in the summer before turning orange and yellow in the autumn. It’s ideal for those who love a low-maintenance shrub and need to fill a compact space.
Hillier plant care advice
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water |
| 1.5m x 1.5m | Lightly prune dead or diseased branches | Moist, well-drained | Full sun/partial shade | Water regularly until well-established and through warm, dry periods |
Camellia japonica ‘Brushfield’s Yellow’
This wonderful evergreen shrub is the ideal plant for a border or bed that will really showcase itself, as well as the plants around it. The deep green, sleek foliage is a great backdrop for the wonderful, soft white petals and golden-yellow centres that appear in spring. With double-layered flowers, ‘Brushfield’s Yellow’ is a brilliant central point that will flourish in the shady spots of your garden.
Hillier plant care advice
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water |
| 4m x 2.5m | Remove damaged or dead shoots and thin out plant as required | Moist and well-drained | Full sun/partial shade | Water regularly until well-established and through warm, dry periods |
Ceanothus thyrsiflours ‘Skylark’
Also known as the Californian lilac ‘Skylark’, this delicate and compacted shrub is a beautiful evergreen to integrate into your garden. The collections of blue flowers that appear in June really welcome the summer months and stand out in coastal or Mediterranean-inspired gardens. The dark green foliage is subtly toothed for added interest. ‘Skylark’ will thrive in the sunniest places in your garden.
Hillier plant care advice
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water |
| 2.5m x 2.5m | Remove damaged or dead shoots and thin out plant as required | Moist and well-drained | Full sun | Water regularly until well-established and through warm, dry periods |
Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’
‘Forest Pansy’ really brings excitement to the garden with its beautiful and bright tones. Not only are the leaves vivid shades of red, purple, and orange from spring to autumn, but they are also pretty heart-shaped for extra interest. This Cercis is brilliant for architectural outdoor spaces and is fabulously low-maintenance.
Hillier plant care advice
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water |
| 8m x 8m | Remove damaged or dead shoots and thin out plant as required | Well drained | Full sun/ partial shade | Water regularly until well-established and through warm, dry periods |
Pittosporum tenuifolium Bannow Bay
The silky-looking leaves in grey-green and margined with a cream-white border of Bannow Bay are a fantastic background for the wonderful deep purple flowers that appear in summer. In addition, the foliage turns a vibrant cerise pink during the winter months, making it a fascinating evergreen shrub all year.
Hillier plant care advice
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water |
| 1m x 1m | Lightly prune and remove damaged or dead shoots | Moist and well-drained | Full Sun to partial shade | Water regularly until well-established and through warm, dry periods |
Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’
For a brilliant architectural addition to your garden, Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’ is the ideal bright green evergreen. Keep clipped to make a beautiful garden edge, or use for hedging or borders. Living up to its name, Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’, grows in a rounded shape for a different form to draw the eye in the garden.
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water |
| 1m x 1m | Lightly prune and remove damaged or dead shoots | Moist/ well-drained soil | Full sun/ partial shade | Water regularly until well-established and through warm, dry periods |
Viburnum tinus ‘Variegatum’
Viburnum tinus ‘Variegatum’ is an evergreen shrub featuring ovate and margined leaves. Coloured deep green with a yellow-margined edge, they are brilliantly drought-tolerant and very versatile for planting. Whether you have a contemporary, cottage, or low-maintenance garden, ‘Variegatum’ can be easily integrated into your concept.
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water |
| 1m x 1m | Remove damaged or dead shoots and thin out plant as required | Moist, well-drained | Full sun/partial shade | Water regularly until well-established and through warm, dry periods |
Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’
This subtle evergreen shrub looks pretty from autumn to spring because of the clusters of delicate, pale-pink and white flowers that adorn it. During the summer months, when the flowers have disappeared, the lush foliage of deep green and ovate leaves keeps the plant interesting. Plant in a border or bed for the best results.
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water |
| 2.5m x 1.5m | Lightly prune and remove damaged or dead shoots | Moist, well-drained | Full sun/partial shade | Water regularly until well-established and through warm, dry periods |
Spiraea japonica ‘Firelight’
The foliage of ‘Firelight’ is its best feature in the garden. Ovate leaves change from a red colour that’s tinged with bronze in spring, to green in summer before becoming purple-red during autumn. This variety of Spiraea looks great in coastal, city, and courtyard gardens and is easy to grow in most soils.
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water |
| 1.5m x 1m | Prune in spring for a healthier looking plant | Moist, well-drained | Full shade/partial shade | Water regularly until well-established and through warm, dry periods |
Athyrium niponicum var pictum metallicum
Known commonly as the painted lady fern, metallicum is a striking plant for the garden. A deciduous fern, the leaves are lance-shaped, and the colour varies along them, from grey to green and then centralising to a purple-red. Ferns are great for filling in spaces amongst beds, along borders, or as a feature in a rock garden.
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water |
| 0.5m x 0.5m | Reduce fern as required | Moist, well-drained | Full shade/ partial shade | Water regularly until well-established and through warm, dry periods |
Blechnum brasiliense ‘Volcano’
This variety of evergreen fern is aptly named ‘Volcano’ which is a wonderful nod to the fiery colours of the fronds. Beginning as an intense red shade and developing into a bronze hue as the plant matures, the leaves have an interesting crinkled and curled shape. Plant in containers for an exotic and sub-tropical feature plant.
| Height x Spread | Pruning | Soil | Sun | Water |
| 1.5m x 1m | Reduce fern as required | Moist, well-drained | Full sun/partial shade | Water regularly until well-established and through warm, dry periods |
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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