| "Planting" is the term professional gardeners use | | | | back! |
| for.....plants. In other words, trees, shrubs, grasses, | | | | - Bulbs and corms. These vary tremendously. |
| bedding plants, etc. and there are endless varieties | | | | Some can be left in the ground year after year |
| to choose from. The easiest thing to do is to buy | | | | with little attention and some need to be dug up |
| a book with a reference list in it showing the soil | | | | and stored. When choosing, consider what storage |
| type, sun/shade and watering requirements. You | | | | facilities are available. You won't want dahlia tubers |
| can't plant something which hates bright sunlight | | | | living in the cupboard under your stairs. |
| alongside something that won't survive without it, | | | | The easiest way to start is to draw a plan of |
| so give it some thought at the outset. Most | | | | your garden and divide the beds into manageable |
| books also divide their listings into Trees and | | | | areas. On your plan, mark each bed as to the light |
| Shrubs, Climbers, Perennials, Annuals | | | | it gets and whether there is any shade (full, |
| I'm going to concentrate on flower-beds for the | | | | dappled) and the state of the soil (e.g. dry, boggy, |
| purposes of this article. If you want to grow | | | | etc.). |
| vegetables and fruit, you will need a separate | | | | Next, decide whether you want to have formal |
| area which will need different treatment. | | | | colour-schemes for the whole garden or individual |
| - Trees. Be very careful if you have a small | | | | beds. Do you want a "shrubbery" or a "rose |
| garden. Trees have a habit of growing out of | | | | garden" or are you going to mix everything in |
| control, casting too much shade and their roots | | | | together? |
| may end up digging up your drains. If you must | | | | If you already have pergolas or trellises in place |
| have trees, choose something which doesn't grow | | | | then you obviously anticipate growing climbing |
| too tall, too quickly. Bear in mind that some trees, | | | | plants, so mark these in on your plan. |
| such as lilac, need dead-heading once the flowers | | | | For beds which have a boundary fence or wall, |
| are finished. | | | | work from the back in terms of plant height. |
| - Shrubs. Some shrubs have flowers and some | | | | There's no point planting something which will |
| don't, some are evergreen and some aren't. In | | | | ultimately be four feet tall in front of something |
| the main, they need pruning to keep a tidy shape, | | | | which never reaches more than two feet. Bear in |
| about once a year but otherwise are fairly | | | | mind that plants bush out. When I first started |
| forgiving. | | | | gardening, I was so keen to fill all the spaces that |
| - Roses provide lovely colour but they do need a | | | | I had to keep moving plants around as they |
| little care. Dead flowers must be removed and | | | | became larger and overcrowded. |
| spraying against a variety of pests and diseases is | | | | Circular beds (for example in the middle of lawns) |
| almost always needed. Some varieties have been | | | | look best with plants of similar height but if you |
| bred to be disease-resistant, so for less effort, | | | | want some tall and some short, work from the |
| choose one of these. | | | | centre towards the edges. |
| - Perennials. Perennials do nothing for the first | | | | Whichever style of bed you have, remember that |
| year if you grow them from seed so you will | | | | you're going to have to reach those plants at the |
| need a nursery bed or buy them ready to plant | | | | back or in the centre, in order to prune or |
| from a garden centre. They will, however, | | | | dead-head them so leave a bit of room to |
| reappear year after year for about 3 or 4 years | | | | manoeuvre. Better still, put down some flat |
| when they will wear out and need replacing. Some | | | | stones which you can stand on while working in |
| perennials can be split at the end of flowering to | | | | the bed. |
| increase your stocks. Dead-heading prolongs the | | | | When you've decided on the plants you want and |
| flowering period. | | | | have marked them on your plan, make a note of |
| - Annuals are lovely for a splash of colour and | | | | the planting requirements (depth, distance apart), |
| unless left to seed themselves will need replacing | | | | feeding and watering regime and ongoing care |
| every year. They are great for growing in pots | | | | (e.g. pruning). You'll be glad of this organisation |
| or hanging baskets and they bloom for far longer | | | | when you come to actually putting the stuff in |
| if dead flowers are removed so are somewhat | | | | the ground. |
| labour intensive. Don't grow perennials or annuals | | | | Look out for the next article on preparing your |
| in other than a raised bed, if you have a bad | | | | beds and actually doing the planting. |