Gardening - Do Something Different

The average gardener is not concerned with specific planting schemes, with jaw droppingly wonderful beds or with pushing the boundaries for landscape design. In our quiet suburban gardens, our gently rocking hanging baskets, or dangerously teetering window boxes, most simply want a colourful spectacle to brighten up the day. Something to make us smile, to watch, to water, and to care for. Plants are bought because they're liked. They're popped in where best suited, where there's a free patch of earth, and with a little nurture we desperately hope that they'll survive. And whilst this method of gardening should not be frowned upon, for it brings a wonderfully creative collage of colour and texture, with a few thoughts beforehand, your once pretty border can start to exude beauty.

You only have to look into history to notice subtle additions changing something from ordinary to something extraordinary. Would the Mona Lisa have been so famous if she didn't have that hint of a smile? Would the Pyramids have been so revered if they hadn't been built on such a grand scale? Such works of art are famous for their size, for their difference to their surroundings, to the thought that has gone into the process, and whilst we can't all be at Chelsea Flower Show standards, we can all put in a bit of thought and come up with something different. And of course, the best thing with gardening is, if it doesn't work, then you can simply dig up and reuse the plants in another setting, the oil definitely does not set on the gardener's canvas. In our environment the canvas is constantly changing.

And it doesn't take a wealth of knowledge. A pinch of creativity and thinking outside of the box can suffice. Take care to think about foliage, its shape and colour. Avoid pairing similar shades and leaf shapes together. For example, Heuchera beds can form fascinating borders. Take care to collect a number of varieties with different leaf sizes and shades. By planting together each will, in turn, contrast and therefore bring out the beauty of the others. Likewise, pay attention to bloom size, shape and colour. Bring together similar colours with subtle changes in shade, to form blocks or gradual gradations of bloom. Blues pair well with white, silvers and purples, whilst hot reds, pinks and oranges combine well into stunning blocks.

Simplicity is often key. Rather than combining a huge range of plants, form a palette of a few colours and keep to it. You can collect an entire host of species of different size, shape and form, but if they stick to your key colours they will always look good. Think outside the box a little and mix it up. Rather than plant just a beautiful fern bed, intersperse with Californian Poppies to give a striking dash of vibrancy. Use long flowering grasses mixed with medium height Dahlias' or Alliums to create an eye capturing imaginative display. Most importantly, think, create and practice. The more you mix it up, the more imaginative and attractive your displays will become.