Working with a blank canvas can be daunting but if you are planting a new garden or reworking what you already have, there are good places to start.
By all means take your lead from a favourite plant or two, which could help you decide on the tone, theme and colour scheme of the garden. But when it comes to laying out, it is best to start with the biggest plants and those that will be on show all year round: those that will provide the structure of the garden. Get trees and hedges planted in their favoured period of November to February. Add in evergreens - plants that keep their leaves year-round - and shrubs with larger ultimate sizes, and all those smaller plants can then be tessellated around them. Autumn is here and that means ‘proper’ gardening season is too. There is certainly still plenty of choice for instant pleasure, from flowers and berries and colourful leaves, but at this time of year focus starts to shift to the big picture and to the plants that will be long-term features in your garden. In summer we are often chasing our own tails, keeping up with watering, weeding, pruning and mowing, but now there is the breathing space to really think about what could be improved and to tackle the bigger jobs. With the weather cooling and plants entering their dormant phase, it is the optimum time for getting new planting settled in and for moving any that are in the wrong position.  Trees, hedging, roses and shrubs are among those that are best put in during autumn and winter, particularly in the free-draining soils that are common in East Anglia. These are the plants that will give structure and focal points for your garden. Planting can be carried out any time just so long as the soil isn’t waterlogged or frozen, as digging in these conditions can damage the structure of the soil, making it a less palatable place for plants to grow. For proper gardening season you want a proper garden nursery, and Katie’s Garden Plant Centre stocks a good variety of trees, hedging and other garden plants and is able to source an even wider selection on request. Hedging plants can be bought to fit most budgets and levels of patience, from good-value ‘bareroot’ plants for just a few pounds each up to premium ‘instant effect’ specimens. Not just for the edges, they can be used to screen grot spots, shelter seating areas, and divide the garden into rooms. • Shop for trees, hedging plants and roses for collection and free local home delivery at www.katiesgarden.co.uk/shop-online
Colour and interest in the garden doesn't just come from flowers, especially in the colder months of the year.
But probably the finest way to use ornamental grasses is by combining them with swathes of late-flowering perennials in prairie gardens.
|
