How you can have a fantastic year-long garden

Adonis Adoni Adonis Adoni
Knightsbridge Roof Terrace, Aralia Aralia Commercial spaces Stone
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The garden is the crowing jewel of most homes and gardening can be a meditative exercise, causing us to delighted when we see our hard work blossom.

However, a beautiful garden requires thorough planning. You will need to know whether the plants you intend to grow are annual, perennial or evergreen. You will also need to know if the plants you wish to have are suitable for the climate. Planning and research are key for a fantastic garden!

Take notes and, as always, be inspired!

1. Consider the overall design before starting

An important aspect of planning is to estimate the available terrain. Money wise, it will be good to know how many plants you can fit in the garden before you pay a visit to the garden centre. Measuring the available space will also help you in defining different areas of the garden. 

Grab a pencil and sketch the outline of your garden with the taken measurements. In case you have a large garden, it would be ideal if you get the help of professional landscape architects. They will be able to better evaluate the space and advise on how to add some wow factor to your garden.

2. Define areas with perennial plants

After you have taken the necessary measurements, it’s time to choose the plants and flowers you want in your garden. You should undoubtedly consider perennials. The term is reserved for plants that live for more than two years and they're usually categorised into woody and herbaceous plants. 

Woody plants are trees, shrubs and vines that survive the winter and restart growth in spring time. Herbaceous plants die each fall but their roots remain intact so they sprout again in the spring. Perennials can become the backbone of your garden as they are full of flower and they’ll come again next year. 

It will be a good idea to be informed of what is actually classified as perennial before buying anything. These marathon performers are widely available and they are quite happy in either pods or beds.

3. Choose local and regional varieties

Another thing to consider when choosing plants is how they interact with the given climate and season. Every plant variety has its own season that blooms and favourites specific weather conditions.  For example, there are flowers that need more sunshine than others or there are others that are accustomed to shade. 

Knowing the different needs of plants will help you appropriate them better in your garden. So, you should carefully observe what areas in your garden receive the most sunlight before planting anything. It is also important to leave some breathing space between your plants so they can develop properly.

4. Plan the garden according to the growth of plants

Similar to knowing their needs, you should also be aware of how each plant will develop. Why? Because towering plants should be placed in a position that don’t overshadow the smaller. 

For example, if your garden design is peripheral, align the higher plants against the walls or fences and place the smaller ones in the outer beds or pots. If your garden design has a central bed, set the tallest plants in the middle and as you move away from the centre, decrease their size. Also avoid organising the plants by variety or colour so that your garden is a compilation of texture and colour.

5. Don't forget colourful plants and flowers

Along with your perennial plants, you should make room for the striking colourful accents of annual flowers. Annual plants, despite their beauty, live only for one or two seasons and then they die so will need to be replenished every other season.

That’s not something to worry about, however, as every season you can have a different blend of colours blooming in your garden.  Begonias, geranium and petunias are a few types of seasonal plants that bloom in the summertime. For the winter season, go for a variety of pansies, primrose and violas. Of course, annual plants are not limited to the aforementioned choices but they present a colourful blend that will bring joy to any garden.

6. Green walls

Nowadays, green walls are a trendy choice among garden enthusiasts. A simple way to create a green wall is by hanging pots. If you want to get creative, make pots out of recycled material, such as wooden crates or empty jars. Creeping plants can also be a choice for green walls. However, they do require special attention.  

If you going for pots hung on your garden wall, consider filling then with annual plants. Since every season annual plants die, you can replenish them with brand new, creating an ever-changing spectacle of vertical garden. 

7. Garden furniture for all seasons

Finally, a garden must have furniture! You need to consider what type of furniture you are going to get, taking into account its durability and comfort because, after all, you will spend hours sitting and marvelling at the garden you created. For the rainy days it will be a good idea to buy covers for your furniture so that they don't become prey to bad weather. 

You should also consider beforehand the possibility of building a patio/deck or adding decorative details, such as a fountain. As for energy consumption (the garden will require a lot of water) it will be a good idea to get a water recycling system to minimise waste.

For more green thumb inspiration, check out these: Great Garden Ideas You May Not Have Thought Of.

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