The notion of designing and planting a new perennial border may fill veteran gardeners with anticipatory glee, but new gardeners often experience sensations more akin to a panic attack. Not to worry: there’s a first time for everything, and by following a few basic guidelines, you have every reason to expect success. Perennial (often called herbaceous) borders are a British … [Read more...] about 6 steps to a beautiful perennial border
Garden design
5 patterns for using pavers in garden design
There’s more than one way to lay down bricks or concrete pavers to make a path or patio. Some configurations are easy to DIY; others more labour-intensive, because cutting may be required. For your garden design, here’s a rundown of five patterns to consider before you get ready to lay down those pavers. Running bond One of the most classic, common patterns … [Read more...] about 5 patterns for using pavers in garden design
How to use a bloom chart in your garden design
The Garden Making bloom chart will help you keep track of when plants in your garden are in flower, showing you when there are gaps in bloom. It can be an important tool in achieving succession of bloom in your garden design. Using a bloom chart for individual areas will also be a help in colour design, allowing you to better plan beds devoted to monochromatic schemes, such as … [Read more...] about How to use a bloom chart in your garden design
Two spring plant combinations to try
Parts of Canada are still snow-covered (at least where I garden), but thankfully it’s March and milder spring weather can’t be far behind. Here are two of my favourite spring plant combinations that would be easy to recreate in most Canadian gardens. The first was inspired by a visit to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania last year; the second is a coincidental pairing from my own … [Read more...] about Two spring plant combinations to try
Garden design ideas for all season blooms
What do gardeners want? The simple answer is to see beautiful blooms every day of the growing season. What we’re more likely to see are a few bursts of colourful blossoms interspersed with increasingly long periods of green leaves. This scenario is the result of planting only what interests us most (or what recently seduced us at the garden centre), instead of following a … [Read more...] about Garden design ideas for all season blooms