Planning to Plant
Last month we wrote about garden design, and how to decide on which style you would like
to choose for your own garden, and
more importantly whether to make it look ‘designed’ or not. As promised, in this month’s article we’re focusing on softening the design with planting. Well-designed gardens are a successful blend of hard and soft landscaping (e.g. paving and plants), but not until recently did it occur to me how you can achieve a great effect with very little in terms of hard landscaping.
Whether you are thinking about a new garden, total re-design, or just want to refresh a single border, it is important to draw yourself a planting plan.
It’s not as scary as
it sounds, and is really just like a large ‘paint by numbers’.
A plan will avoid expensive
mistakes made by impulse purchases, and will reduce maintenance in the long term. The resulting garden will also look so much fuller, the plants much happier and healthier, and you will feel proud of your creation instead of frustrated with your lack of ability.
First of all, begin by enlisting the help of a gardening friend (or passerby) with a tape measure, and get a blueprint of what is there now. Measure the boundaries of the borders - note any trees and hedges, fences and walls, shady spots, and those in full sun too.
If you
know which way the sun moves around the garden you will have much more success in choosing the right plants.
62 To advertise in thewire t. 07720 429 613 e.
the.wire@btinternet.com
September is a great time to plant, but here are some other jobs you can do at this time of the year:
• •
• •
• Clip hedges for the final time this year
Sow lawn seed to thicken or establish a new lawn
Sow the last batch of lettuce
Plant some potatoes in the greenhouse for Christmas
• Net ponds to prevent leaves falling into it
Plant spring flowering bulbs
Draw the plan on paper, ideally to scale. 1:50 is a good size for the average garden (where 50cm in reality is 1cm on paper). Then, using a selection of larger and smaller coins to draw around, fill the border with circles, starting at the rear of the border with the large shrubs, and work towards the front with herbaceous perennials and annuals. You can then layer bulbs in for extra spring and summer colour. Think about colour, the times of year they flower and the eventual size they will grow too.
It’s a good idea to arm yourself with a
good plant book, or simply search the internet for inspiration.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80