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Gardens are funny things… you would think that almost anything would fit inside those boundaries. Contemporary chic, rustic idyll, botanical collection, or children’s playground, there seems to be no end of styles & schemes that you could borrow from books, television & garden visits. However, with all the good will in the world there is no way that all garden schemes will fit into your plot, so before you start ordering the slabs it’s time to assess your garden properly & see what limitations it imposes or what advantages you are missing.
Aspect & Microclimate – Here in Sussex, life is generally pretty easy for semi-tender plants. The Weald is usually frost-free if a little breezy in exposed places but things can get complicated as you draw close to the seashore. Here you have to balance some of the best & worst of climatic conditions. Sheltered coastal gardens rarely experience extreme cold or heat, & can therefore support plants that are frost tender. This allows most subtropicals, such as Musa (banana), Lantana, Ricinus, Echium, Agave & Canna lilies, to thrive, especially on a south facing wall. On the down side is the double threat of salt & wind in exposed conditions. Those of you who regularly browse this column may remember the harsh lessons I learned when building a garden at Camber Sands last year. Oddly enough, on my last visit some plants I expected to thrive have succumbed, whilst others that were a real gamble have exceeded all expectations. On a more localised scale, if your plot is partially wooded, or has a large overhanging tree (& we’ll come to borrowed landscape in a minute) then you would be well advised to read books & consult experts that can advise you on shady plants rather than charging ahead with the rose garden that your heart desires. Think about it… would you rather a garden that looked good & enjoyed the inherent conditions, or a scheme that still appears as if it is desperately trying to scratch an existence in alien conditions ten years hence? Soil – If the soil’s not right then the garden just isn’t going to grow. Just repeat this over & over again when you are thinking of plants. Acid loving plants won’t thrive on chalk (so don’t buy a place on Ditchling Beacon & expect to plant masses of heathers & Rhododendrons) & similarly if your patch is nothing but uncultivated clay then almost nothing will grow just, maybe, survive. As most of you sons (& daughters) of the Sussex soil will appreciate, we do have more than our fair share of clay in the Weald & overall this is no bad thing, it just needs conditioning. Clay is the only constituent of soil that retains nutrients (these leach through silt & sand) & the introduction of organic material loosens the structure & produces the best soil. Head off to your local stable yard for all the organic material you need, as this will add much needed nutrients too, leave a deep mulch on the surface for a week or so & then it should just turn into the ground with a deft flick of a border fork. Shape – Once you have decided on where things will go & what they can grow in then you should look at the shapes in your garden (& by default the shapes that are not yet there). Most houses, for example have a patio that is parallel to the wall of the house. Why? This was great design when Andre Le Notre conceived Versailles or when Thomas Mawson created formal Victorian gardens but these days the scale is different & if you want to bring an unusual dynamic to the space & focus views within the garden then angular areas of paving or curved decking can turn a garden on its’ head & create an exciting & different space. Combinations – Plants add architectural highlights, colour & texture so think about the way they combine together & with the materials that you have chosen. Remember (& this is important!!) there are no rules… simple. Experiment, have fun, enjoy successes & failures but if it can grow in the conditions you have in your garden & you like the shape, colour & texture or even the scent of a plant, buy it, plant it & see what happens…. Borrowed Landscape – The simple explanation of this phrase is other people’s gardens. Borrowed landscape is not something that can ever be counted on... someone may chop down that Oak tree on the other side of your fence but while it’s there you have to deal with it. The best advice is to plant as if the tree is yours but hard landscape as if the tree may be removed. Don’t count on it. The benefit of borrowing features outside the garden is that you can increase the perceived size of the plot by blurring the fencing with plants while leading the eye towards the borrowed feature using a focal point. It is vital to remember that you don’t own this feature so don’t be angry if it disappears, redesign your garden again & try something different. That’s the fun of it… there’s always something different to try. |
