Buying a new house is incredibly exciting and hopefully stress free. You can move in to a fully maintained and decorated house, put your furniture in and voila you have a home. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for the garden. I’ve spent some time around the new estates local to me. I found that the estates had some lovely landscaping but the private garden offering a bit boring. The standard offering is a bit of patio and some turf. So what can you do to carry the wow factor into your garden. Even in a small garden can be a tranquil, green space to invite nature and wildlife in,
- Be brave. It can be very easy to just have a lawn, a patio and a few skinny beds.
- Consider the shape of the garden you would like. For a contemporary modern feel, squares and circles can do wonders. Ignore the shape of the perimeter of the garden!
- Invest in your soil. I’ve heard the horror stories of the builders putting the waste in the garden. Nothing is going to grow in rubble. The eco system of your soil is fundamental your plant health. It may be that your soil needs decompaction (if there has been big machinery on it) and then a lot of organic matter.
- Decide what structure you need. Its a great idea to put in structural planting first. In a new garden a few trees can be revolutionary. They can bring height and screen off any neighbours.
- Think about what kind of maintenance you are happy to do (or get someone in for). Watering is high on the list of maintenance as well as cutting grass. You can go for drought tolerant plants and consider do you even need a lawn.
- Plant choice. Pick a mixture of shrubs, bulbs and perennials that will give you interest as much of the year as possible. Decide what colour scheme you like: pastels, hot colours, whites, greens. Plant en masse to make an impact. So having more than one of each of a plant. Ideally plant in odd numbers.
- Enjoy having a garden and experimenting with what grows well
If you need any help with this I can provide a full garden design, planting design and a planting service. Please get in touch to arrange a consultation.
Some great ideas on plants https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/12-plants-for-dry-soil/
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