As above, there are lots of principles to choose from. I have a small city garden, perhaps similar, about 4x7m. I find simple repetition of plants really adds a special thing. I have Bishop of Llan usually at four or five points along the garden and it does make the eye bounce. This year I repeated foxgloves, phlox, red roses and clems around the place.
Other planning principles to consider might be - having continuous 'something or another' going right through the year, so that everything isn't loaded into summer flowering. Some people feel they rather the big summer bang as they are not outside that much in the winter.
Also taking pollinators and birds etc into account, you might want to have pollen, nectar, fruit, seedheads and/or berries for wildlife throughout the year, if that's your thing.
Similarly, a bio-diverse garden seems to offer most to a greater selection of wildlife. The range of diversity seems to be important - rather than concentrating on planting for one or two animals or species. Wide diversity also gives you the chance to test out a load of plants - for yourself, your soil and critters. You might find you have a load of what you least expected to happen. Find which you love, they love, your garden loves. Test, choose, learn, repeat.
This is a pretty comprehensive guide from our trusted GW gardeners: How to Design a Garden - BBC Gardeners' World Magazine (gardenersworld.com). Decide what you like, check its suitability for your soil, climate and aspect, experiment, review and then refine - this is what most gardeners do, learning about the unique character of their own garden and planting according to these limitations and their own taste. Take inspiration from books, television programmes, visits to other gardens and garden centres to learn what you do and don't like - your garden should then reflect your own personality.
I also think you need some knowledge of your plot and experience with plants. You learn as you go. When we moved to our present garden there were a lot of things I didn't know but even more I COULDN'T know, such as my soil became waterlogged all winter and the wind roared up the garden.
So I had all sorts of plans and planting schemes and it's a good job I couldn't afford to sail in and do it all because a good 50% of the things I planted failed. I have had to experiment and compromise to discover what will thrive. It's been exciting and challenging, just as gardening should be, but the best laid plans.....
I'd highly recommend this book by Nigel Dunnett; it's extremely helpful in talking about creating visual harmony that looks like it 'just happened,' and creating planting that has waves of seasonal interest. He takes his inspiration directly from natural ecology.
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
Plant whatever you like, and don't worry about what other people think . If I stuck to the "rule" of planting in groups of 5 or 7, I wouldn't have space for all the different plants that I want to grow. And I probably have a few dozen different plants in each area. It's your garden so you can grow as many (or as few) different plants as you want.
To me it's about what's pleasing to the eye, with invitations to explore rather than hard and fast rules. To me that's putting out bedding plants with a ruler between them to make sure they are all evenly spaced, as my Dad, and lots of other gardeners in the 50s and 60s did!
Nooooo! Think William Robinson on a smaller scale. To me nothing looks more pleasing than a cottage style border with an underlying repeated theme;
I absolutely agree with you. I don't like the regimented style of planting at all that they used to do (and still do in many public parks) and that's what I see as hard and fast rules. But repeats, yes, whether in colour, shape or the same plant.
I'd highly recommend this book by Nigel Dunnett; it's extremely helpful in talking about creating visual harmony that looks like it 'just happened,' and creating planting that has waves of seasonal interest. He takes his inspiration directly from natural ecology.
Thanks. Just the read I was looking for. Ordered it on Amazon.
I'd highly recommend this book by Nigel Dunnett; it's extremely helpful in talking about creating visual harmony that looks like it 'just happened,' and creating planting that has waves of seasonal interest. He takes his inspiration directly from natural ecology.
Look what arrived today. Only a dozen pages in and I'm completely absorbed. Great call.
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I’m not a fan of mixed herbaceous borders, to me it looks impressive but noisy. I like the simpler, and I think they make as much of a statement.
So I had all sorts of plans and planting schemes and it's a good job I couldn't afford to sail in and do it all because a good 50% of the things I planted failed. I have had to experiment and compromise to discover what will thrive. It's been exciting and challenging, just as gardening should be, but the best laid plans.....
Thanks. Just the read I was looking for. Ordered it on Amazon.