EXPERT ADVICE
TV gardener Katie Rushworth shares her tips and ideas to help you improve your garden
1 Containers
Group differentsized pots together with colourful flowers such as muscari and narcissus, or use evergreens with varied forms and foliage such as box ball, phormium or plum-leaved heuchera, which will look good all year.
2 Lighting
This is often overlooked, yet it can really add a wow factor. Uplighting a tree in the evening creates a fantastic focal point, and lit pathways and lights in flowerbeds always remind me of balmy nights on holiday. Plus, you’re bound to want to spend longer in your garden during those summer evenings if it’s filled with the warm glow from outdoor lamps.
3 Outdoor buildings
A shed can take up a large area of garden, so painting it a bright hue makes a feature of it. Linking the colour to your furnishings or planting is another way to unify the area.
4 Furnishings
Using soft furnishings in the garden that mirror the interior of your home will connect the two spaces.
5 Architectural plants
Any plants with huge, interesting leaves make a good talking point. Rodgersia, tetrapanax, and gunnera all look wonderful, if you have the space for them. I also like trimming all the leaves from the bottoms of bamboos that have coloured stems – having a metre or so of golden or black stem topped with green lush foliage looks especially dramatic.
6 Colour
Don’t be afraid to use it! It not only looks exciting, but repeating a specific shade creates cohesion in your garden. A pot full of red tulips by the door, a vibrant blue shed with sunflowers against it or a container full of bright exotics will always lift your spirits.
7 Sensory garden
Having soft, tactile plants by paths and seating areas feels good, and packing scent into a garden is a must. Fragrance is a huge memory stimulator, and has a dramatic effect on our mood. I love having heavily scented plants around doors and seating areas. Being surrounded by perfume – or simply catching a whiff of something nice when I arrive home from work – gives me great pleasure.