PLANTS MAKE THE GARDEN

Having designed your garden and prepared the beds, your next step is to select the plants.

This will depend on the type of garden you have in mind.  If it is a formal garden, a simple cottage garden, a flower garden, a mixed herbaceous garden or any other kind of garden your selection of plants will vary.

In general, the plants must be sun tolerant and able to withstand outdoor conditions; and you should know their growth habits.  Are they tall, shrubby or low growing?

The individual plants and the way you combine them with others are what makes the garden interesting and attractive.  They can be grouped with plants with either similar or contrasting but complementary colours.

Group Planting

I often group members of the same family such as aroids (Araceae), or same genus such as cordyline, because of the striking variations in their leaf colours, sizes, shapes and textures.

Another reason for group planting is to create an impact, which an individual plant may not have.  Certain plants, especially annuals such as salvias, should only be planted in this way.

You will also need individual specimen plants that stand out, or even small flowering trees to serve as focal points.  In lieu of plants, you can use ornaments such as birdbaths, garden statuary or even boulders for this purpose.

PLANTING

Before planting, position the main plants and arrange the others around them.  This allows you to see exactly where to dig the planting holes and how the finished bed would look.

It is easy to plant at this stage, because the entire bed is made up of loose, freshly mixed soil, so the planting holes need only be big enough to accommodate the root ball of each plant.

When placing the plants, remember that the tall ones go to the rear.   In front of these will come the medium sized, followed by the lowest growing ones.  Make sure there is sufficient space between plants for easy access throughout the bed.

To finish the beds, outline them with border plants such as small flowering perennials, dwarf ferns or small clumping foliage plants.  Neat edging gives the bed a finished look and prevents erosion.

Finally, a choice tree or two, and the right amount of garden furniture and ornaments, strategically placed will give the garden its distinctive character.

Now, what do happy gardeners do when their garden has reached this stage?       They continue puttering around the garden forever looking for ways to improve it.  That’s what keeps them happy.

Regardless of what stage your garden is now at, you and your family can certainly enjoy it this holiday season.  Have a happy Christmas!

UP NEXT

In my next column, two weeks from now, I will tell you what you can do with your Poinsettias after the Christmas season has passed.

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If you have any gardening news or tips you would like to share, or if you are having a problem in your garden, e-mail me at thehappygardner@tstt.net.tt

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