The aim #of the# soil in a garden is to grow plants. You may wish #to be# utterly unadventurous, with turf grasses forming a central lawn which is edged with borders and spotted with flower beds. These beds and borders are filled up with shrubs and bedding plants. You can almost certainly find room for some Rose bushes and a woody climber or two for your walls of your house. For many people the lure of home-grown vegetables is irresistible.
This standard pattern of the suburban garden is slowly changing, flowering shrubs, evergreen ground covers and small trees are gaining popularity #and the# classical herbaceous border is losing its appeal.
You might wish to depart #from the# routine pattern. You will discover people who devote their front gardens to alpines and bulbs, others create Rose gardens, some produce natural gardens with shrubs and wild flowers, and then there #is the# organized chaos #of the# cottage garden with its herbs, annuals and old-fashioned perennials.
The range of plants for you to pick from is kind of staggering. The catalogue #of a# seed nurseryman contains hundreds #of varieties#, the list #of a# general nurseryman is much more incomprehensible with #all of# its shrubs, trees, climbers, herbaceous border plants, alpines, #and so# forth. A saunter around a modern garden centre #is a# most pleasurable encounter which was denied #to our# ancestors, but it is also a bewildering job when the idea is to select a quantity of plants that will be right for your garden.
You may think the choice is #up to# you. It is just a matter of liking the picture #in the# catalogue or the specimen at the garden centre. Well, no it isn't - there are actually a variety of factors which should be considered #if you# don't want to throw away a lot of money and time, and many of these factors are outside of your control.
Follow the step-by-step guide below in order #to make# sure that the plants you want to grow will flourish in your garden. You need the right plant #from the# right supplier.
Step 1. Do you need a lasting feature #or a# short-term display? Trees and shrubs are used to establish the everlasting living skeleton of a garden. Hardy perennials will live #in your# garden for years, but they do die down #in the# wintry months. Annuals are for short-lived display only. #Do you# #want a# labour-saving plant? Herbaceous perennials and 'hobby plants' #such as# Dahlias and Chrysathemums entail much more work - staking, feeding, dead-heading, dividing etc. Most shrubs and trees entail just a little yearly maintenance, but well-timed pruning may be a necessity. If want leaves to remain over winter? Choose an evergreen, but it #is not# always the best plant to grow. A Garden filled up with evergreens can look dull and monotonous - deciduous plants add an extra dimension with fresh leaves opening in the spring and changing colours in autumn.
Step 2. Choose the right plant type. What shape and size will be suitable? One #of the# commonest blunders in gardening is to purchase a plant which at maturity is much too large #for the# space available. Chopping back every year #means that# both natural beauty and floral display can be lost. Always check the expected height before purchasing. #What will# the growing environment be like? Check if the plant has clear-cut requirements with regard to sunshine, temperature, soil, lime tolerance, drainage and soil moisture. Some plants are remarkably tolerant #of extreme# climatic and soil conditions, others are not. Nearly all annuals need full sun, rockery perennials require good drainage and Pieris, rhododendron, Camellia, Calluna and Pernettya abhor lime.
Step 3. Is money your main consideration? Seed bought in packets or saved from your own plants is easier on the pocket, but it could take years #to raise# a shrub or herbaceous perennial using this method. Rooted cuttings taken from plants in your garden are another low-cost source of plant material. If simplicity is the main factor, containers have revolutionized planting out. Just select a container grown specimen at any time #of the# year, dig a hole #in the# garden and pop it in. But containers aren't quite that simple, but they are the most convenient and 'instant' of all plant materials.
Step 4. #As a# general rule #you get# what you #pay for#, but this does not mean that there #is a# 'best' supplier for all situations. A 'bargain offer' #from a# mail order nursery can be #the correct# choice #if you# are short of money #and have# a large space to fill with common, garden shrubs, but in many cases #it is# preferable to look at what #you are# buying beforehand, #and it# is definitely wise to search out a supplier with a good reputation.
Author Resource:
A fantastic amount of my time is spent in my garden, but as #I am# getting older and things are getting harder to do. #I have# decided to use a company called Gardener London . #Up to# now #they have# given me #all the# help and advice that #I have# asked for. I still do #a bit of# pottering around #my own# garden.
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