I started in the horticulture industry when I was 18 years old, 24 years later I’ve picked up a few tricks of the trade. Things have gone right, things have gone wrong, I’ve killed plenty of plants, but I have always tried to learn along the way and luckily for me, dead plants make the best compost! Here are my top ten tips for creating and maintaining your dream garden.
1. Be in the space before designing it
One of the hardest things to do as a landscape designer is to spend time in somebody else’s space before you start designing it. This time will really allow you to get to know the ins and outs of the garden, the light, the soil, and the environmental factors that influence it. Of course, you can spend some time there during consultations and site meetings but the owners are normally present too, so your focus is on them, not the actual space. Being able to sit and relax and really take in all the pros and cons of a site is vital for a successful garden design. Luckily, as a designer you become attuned to what will and won’t work in a space quickly. But as a homeowner, it’s important to invest time in doing nothing and taking in the space before rushing into a new project or addition.
2. Listen to your client
When I designed my first garden at The Royal Horticulture’s Chelsea Flower Show I was marked down from a gold medal to a silver gilt as my design brief stated the garden will be enclosed with a hedge. My hedge didn’t have enough leaves to enclose the space. I was fuming at the time thinking ‘how petty” however if a client had requested a private enclosed garden and I gave them a deciduous hedge for the boundary, they wouldn’t be happy. As such its vital to understand exactly what you want to get out of a space before embarking on any installation and really focus on what you are trying to achieve throughout the whole process.
3. Less is often more
Getting the scale and proportion of your garden elements right is key to a successful design. It’s much better to have a few elements at the right scale than too much. Too small as it will come across as tokenistic and cluttered. Having space to move around a garden comfortably between elements such as entertaining spaces, lawns, and swimming pools is as much joy as the spaces themselves.
4. Don’t forget practicality
Gardens are a visual feast, and the joy of looking at something beautiful is wonderful, but remember to allocate space for all the items that go along with supporting that beauty – things like lawnmowers, washing lines and kids’ play equipment all need to be thought of where they can go, where they can be accessed with ease and how can they be made to look nice too.
5. Right plant for the right spot
When it comes to planting a new garden or even adding a few plants to an existing bed, do some research on what you are planting. Our lovely green friends have evolved to like a certain set of environmental circumstances. If you can give them what they want, they will thrive. The key elements to look for are aspect – sun or shade, tolerance to wind, type of soil they like, the drainage they require, the amount of water they require and the level of fertilisation they need. This counts for your lawns as well as other plants. If you start to see problems with a plant use this as an opportunity to learn about what is going wrong, I’ve learnt more from diseased plants than I have from the easy-care ones.
6. Soil prep is king
Soil is everything when it comes to successfully growing lawns and ornamental plants. If you get the soil right for the plants you want to grow then you have won the battle to a healthy garden. Compost is king when it comes to improving your soil, and no matter what you have, compost will help it. It helps to bind sandy soils to hold onto nutrients and water but also breaks up clay-based soils by bringing in wildlife like worms and other soil insects. For unstable clays, the addition of gypsum will be paramount to the success of the soil before the introduction of compost. Whenever you get the chance to improve your soil, it’s a well worthy task to complete.
7. Water
Plants love water, even the drought-tolerant ones, The more you water your plants, the better they will grow and the healthier they will be…… as long as they have the right drainage for the plant you are growing. It’s a simple one but one that makes the world of difference to your garden.
8. Mulch
Mulch is a wonderful thing for your garden as it breaks down to improve your soil, slows water into the soil making watering more effective and slows water runoff too which prevents excess erosion. It will suppress weeds and help to lock moisture into the soil not to mention it makes the garden look finished and well cared for. It may seem crazy but try to get a mulch that fits with the style of your garden, a native garden suits leaf litter whilst a rustic garden will sing with a straw style mulch, contemporary spaces can be elevated with a pebble mulch. Remember it’s the small details that make a big difference in a gardens overall visual impact.
9. Less work more often
When it comes to maintaining anything in the garden be it a garden bed, a veggie patch or a lawn doing less more often is better than saving all that time up and trying to get it all done at once. Your plants will be healthier as you will get to know them better and be able to get on top of any issues quicker and your body will enjoy it too which will keep you doing it for longer. I also always like to remember the weeding is never done, no matter how much you do there will always be more and as soon as you come to terms with that the easier it is to do a little bit here and there and not get disheartened if you don’t get it all done.
10. Take time to enjoy the garden
We all enjoy our gardens for different reasons, for some it is watching the kids play on the lawn, for others its harvesting from the vegetable patch or deadheading your annuals. For me there is nothing better than taking a moment to sit and relax out on the lawn being surrounded by my favourite plants and soaking it all in. I truly cherish these brief moments.
For more lawn care tips and advice, make sure you check out our other lawn care blogs here.
