Plants are what gardens are about. The choice and combination of plants is infinite. But the choice is much reduced when you take into account soil conditions, local climate and your personal preferences for garden style, colours and shapes. Other factors that should be considered are ease of maintenance, child friendliness (no thorny or poisonous plants) and whether anyone in your household has any plant induced allergies e.g. asthma.
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• Work with the conditions you have in your garden. If you have a heavy clay soil don't expect plants that require light sandy soils to prosper. Similarly with shady, sunny and wet, dry areas of the garden. “Right plants for right places” is the rule. |
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• The Royal Horticultural Society provides a soil analysis service (£20 for members, £25 for non members). You send them a sample in the bags they provide and the report you receive includes recommendations for soil improvement and appropriate fertilisers. Well worth it. |
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• Have a ‘skeleton' planting of shrubs (preferably evergreen) and trees to give structure to the garden. |
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• Aim for at least 50% evergreen plants to give year round interest. |
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• Be aware of the mature size of plants. A common mistake is to position plants too close to each other so that as they mature they compete for light and soil nutrients and therefore don't look at their best. |
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• Blocks or swathes of the same or compatible coloured flowers are more effective than dotting a number of the same plant around the garden. |
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• Don't forget that colour and texture can come from foliage as well as flowers. |
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• Try to aim for interest throughout the year so far as flowering times are concerned – tricky this, but you can get help from some of the books mentioned below. |
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• When you go to a garden centre or nursery to buy plants go with a shopping list. If not you may well buy on impulse only to find that when you get home you've got nowhere to put them or they are inappropriate for your garden. Garden centres have caught on to supermarket
techniques and position flower pretties near the till! |
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• Planting and the expectation are the best bits about having a garden. |
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• Be ruthless with plants. If a plant doesn't perform, gets out of control or you get bored with it – get rid of it. Be a Rambo gardener. |
‘Garden Flowers' by Christopher Lloyd; ‘What Plant Where' by Roy Lancaster; ‘Planting Companions by Jill Billington.
