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HOME-HINTS |
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Garden - Planting |
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The trick of a successful garden is often in the choice of plants. A wise choice is going to give you an array of colour throughout the year and get the most flourishing look to your garden without too many expensive disasters. There are books available either to buy or on loan from libraries which can guide as to which plants go well in which soils and positions or careful reading of plant information tags at garden centres will help inform your choice along with what plants appeal to you. |
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SOIL TYPE Always make sure you know the basic type of soil you have to work with. Is it clay based and heavy which can stay wet for some while or sandy so the moisture drains away quite quickly? Is the soil acidic? That question may need some expert advice but often there is a keen gardener nearby who has some helpful information regarding that question. If all else fails take a sample to a garden centre or horticulture advice centre. LIGHT & SHADE Plants vary greatly as to how they flourish depending on their need of light and shade. Some plants such as many clematis also like their roots in shade whilst the stem and flowers do best in the bright sunshine. things like that can be accommodated by stones shading the soil over the plant's roots and maybe a low wall or fence but trailing the plant up a trellis top catch the sunlight. CLIMATE In these days of climate change this has become a "hot topic" for gardeners in the UK. They want to plant choosing varieties that can withstand long hot dry spells often when there are water use restrictions and watering gardens is not deemed a good use of the water resource. EVERGREEN / PERENIAL / ANNUAL? These choices between evergreen plants with foliage all year round and plants that "die off" in the winter will obviously make quite a difference to the overall look of a garden. Bare branches or leaves, both can add beauty in the winter season. Evergreen plants that flower in winter such as "winter jasmine" can also enhance the drab season. Also choosing between shrubs and perennial plants which keeps the maintenance lower compared with replacing bedding plants yearly. Maintenance will also effect you choice of plants, Biannuals and annuals as their names suggest will die completely each year or two will need replacing very regularly; and although often giving strong displays of seasonal colour will need more effort on the gardeners part. SEASON Trying to choose plants that will give colour and interest to a garden in every season is great to liven up even the dullest days. Having plants that flower in Spring, Autumn(Fall) and Winter visible from the house will naturally encourage you to enjoy your garden from the home on that dull wet day when going outside is not inviting. Even making sure that your Spring and Summer plants flower in different months will keep the interest throughout the season. It is quite easy to fall into the trap of having wonderful Spring colour in the garden and then not much as the Summer comes and you want to be out enjoying your garden. PLANTS FOR SHADE There are often areas of the garden that are shaded either by buildings and fences or by large trees. Plants such as Euonymus fortunei (Emerald & Gold), Laurals, Viburnum davidii and Hollies will all cope even in drish conditions and ferns will do well if the soil is a bit wetter. Ivy can also be used but has to be controlled frequently, this said I have used it to great effect using varigated leaf varieties over a high trellis under a very large spreading walnut tree. PLANTS FOR DROUGHT In these days of climate change and unpredictable summers it can be good to have some plants in the garden that will tolerate some element of drought. I have found some Lavenders do well, Choisya (Sundance) gives lovely bushy bright yellow-green foliage, Erysinum (Stars & Stripes) which looks like a small flowered wallflower has an abundance of small lilac flowers and varigated leaf colour. Cistus pulverulentus (sunset) has also thrived well in a raised bed in full sun giving deep pink flowers for long periods in the summer. |
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