Garden Layout and Planting

Typical garden advice covers planting and layout as distinct topics. If you want to create a small garden, you need to make a single integrated decision about the planting to pull the design elements together.

A border that is only 40 centimeters deep, for example, will not improve the appearance of the border and will appear unkempt. To improve the appearance of small borders, you can place foliage and plants closer to the edge of the border, making part of the planting element of the garden unviewable from the back of the house.

Small Gardens

When you are working with small garden elements, it is often best to stick with the elements and materials that you are most familiar. For example, a diagonal pathway created from a repeat material will often be more effective than using numerous disparate materials. It is best to use smaller trees and shrubs, as they will dominate a small garden more quickly than other elements.

You can use dwarfing rootstocks to grow small apple trees in a container. A small garden element may also support the growth of a small branching tree that bears edible fruit.

Planting design

We design planting with layers. In spring we get the gap filled by bulbs. Other plants provide structure, but for the rest of the year they look bare.

There are plenty of secrets plant labels don’t tell you. There are best months for planting certain bulbs. For example, daffodils should be planted in September and early October. Tulips on the other hand should be planted in November. The soil needs to be cool for tulips to avoid something called ‘tulip fire’. For areas with warm and dry or changing weather conditions, look for plants with grey and silver leaves.

There are other tips we’ve covered about design and planting, including borders, bulbs, cottage style planting, and others.