With June fast approaching, and the arrival of my first pre-booked visitors, there’s always lots to do. It’s not been a great winter with my dodgy knee and now my knee replacement surgery on 30th April has really slowed me down although early signs are showing a good recovery. I can honestly say I have not been able to get everything done that I would have liked and it has been a real struggle to do that! But it is what it is! Will my visitors notice? I hope not.
I am extremely lucky to have been able to create a plot that seems to look good all year around which means even though the weather may not be good enough to sit outside in the winter months, there’s still a great view to look out on, both front and back of the house.
So, I suppose my first tip has to be that you try and consider, at the onset, how spaces or garden rooms are going to look throughout the year, not just at the height of summer when you are out there enjoying your plot.
Top tips for the winter months
Consider the spaces closest to the house. Despite the fact that my potted agave have been taken out and placed under cover for the winter and many of the shrubs have been cut back hard, it still looks great!
Meanwhile at the back there are several garden rooms, with the important one opening out from the room in which we sit and watch TV in the evening. There are large French windows and we are lucky enough not to be over looked, so the view is great, even at night especially if I put the outdoor lights on.
A great tip I’ve picked up along the way is to try and place at least one water feature in the garden. I am fortunate to have been able to install mains power all around the garden so that I can use electrical items, but there are some pretty good solar powered features around too. You’ll be amazed at how soothing and relaxing it can be to hear water trickling away in the background. I’ve actually got seven water features spread around the back garden. One of them, made from corten steel, is left to run in the winter too, when I’m working in the garden.
My final winter tip is to leave some garden furniture out, you never know when the sun will shine in the winter months and it can be quite warm enough to sit out in the sunshine. In my experience this is not something you would do if you had to drag the furniture out of store.
Top tips for the summer months
A great way to create some flexibility in your garden is to ensure you have a range of easily manoeuvrable containers with some splashes of colour. Even the best planned gardens can have unexpected gaps of colour or greenery at certain times of the year! It always pays to have something elsewhere in the garden that can be lifted and dropped in to just finish off that vista or corner.
I often say I feel as though I am dressing a film set rather than gardening. You can use excess pots to effectively paint with flowers too, creating changing views through the summer months. A good example is the use of stunning lilies in the garden. I have three large containers of lilies and they look amazing in the early part of the season, but have gone over by July, so I have to move them away and replace with something else. It also pays to have a good trolley to aid moving the containers too.
A great trick I have picked up too over the years is the use of sculpture, various vintage pieces or objects d’art throughout the garden. The ease of mobility of most pieces also allows you to locate and draw the eye in if an area of planting is not at its best.
The first thing I do, every morning, through the summer months, especially those when I open the garden to the public, I go out first thing and carefully check every part of the plot, dead-heading and making sure the pathways are clear too. This gardening task might seem tedious, but it not only keeps your garden looking good, it also keeps the plants strong. To keep your flowers blooming and performing at their best, deadheading is an essential gardening task. Roses in particular, will repeat beautifully if you keep snipping those dead flowers. Just a few minutes a day will keep your garden in bloom for the length of the summer. Dead flowers will encourage pests and fungi, so it’s essential to keep on top of them.
Maybe an obvious point, but I’m sure many gardeners, including me, don’t really do this, remember to make the most of the long summer days by enjoying your garden. Sit back and relax and take the time to appreciate the real beauty of the surrounding landscape. Walk barefoot and tune in to your surroundings, just being outside is good for your mind, body and soul, so don’t forget to enjoy it.
Tune in to your senses; listen to the birds, watch the busy bees, smell the flowers, taste the fruits and touch the grass. It’s a great time of year to appreciate the fruits of your labour fully. While I may not sit and relax too often, I do enjoy sitting and appreciating my plants as I go around and maintain the plot. So, stoke the BBQ, chill the wine and make the most of this sublime season before the autumn shutdown commences.
