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Planting
The Garden
By
Brendan Little
Before
we discuss the subject of plants and planting
it is important to stress that impulse buying
and random siting must be avoided at all costs.
As a general rule of thumb, the larger a plant
is the longer it tends to live. Therefore, when
it comes to choosing the bigger trees and shrubs
for our gardens, it is important to be aware
of the ultimate size of the plant. In the garden
center, a tree, which may grow to 20 meters
in height, can look the same as one that will
only grow to three.
It is advisable to carry out the planting of
any garden in stages indeed finances may dictate
this. The first planting should include the
major trees, shrubs and hedging. The sooner
these plants settle in and start to grow the
sooner the composition begins to take shape.
The larger woody plants will form the backbone
of the garden. Within this framework, you can
add infill plants such as bulbs, perennials
and annuals.
Spring:
S pring
is one of natures miracles, a season which should
unfold rather than explode in the garden. For
me Amelanchier lamarcki, with its tiny white
flowers is a must have small tree for the spring
garden. Shrubs, which deserve consideration,
are the viburnums,
Viburnum opulus and Viburnum x juddii which
carries pale pink scented blooms.
Be cautious when choosing the bright oranges,
reds and yellows.
Red azaleas, forsythia and Berberis darwinii
can be difficult subjects to blend into a spring
garden.
Summer:
 The
problem with summer is what to leave out, I
like to use the term ‘controlled abundance’
This is the season when perennials take center
stage and the range is enormous so here are
my favorites, Morina longifolia an elegant plant
which carries whorls of pink blooms, Verbascum
‘Helen Johnson’, Peony ‘Sara
Bernhardt’ and Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’.
For the first-time gardener the choice may be
overwhelming and looks far more complicated
than it actually is. Remember stick to your
chosen colour scheme and make notes of what
does not work as adjustments can be made during
winter.
Autumn:
 I
love the curtain call of autumn, the slowing
down before the sleep. The ornamental crab apples
come into their own at this time of year, Malus
‘Golden Hornet’, with its swarm of
warm yellow apples, is a source of food and
decorative in its own right. The apples make
a marvelous jelly. The ornamental rowans are
also laden down with berries; the pure white
Sorbus cashmeriana is my favourite. This time
of year also sees the fruiting shrubs shine,
Rosa rugosa with its succulent hips, pyracanthas,
hollies, berberis and cotoneasters are now heavy
with berries until the birds make off with them.
Winter:
Winter is the season that provides the
sternest test of good garden design. When I
design a garden I generally begin with the plants
for winter interest and think of  the
other seasons later. Winter is the time to enjoy
your evergreens, not just the neatly clipped
hedges but also the winter flowering shrubs
such as Viburnum tinus, Viburnum bodnantense,
Lonicera standishii and the mahonias. Another
winter delight is Garrya elliptica with its
long catkins. And no garden is complete without
a cluster of snowdrops; they are the great harbingers
of spring, which means the cycle starts anew!
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