HOW TO GARDEN NOW

Smart ways to bring fresh new life to your plot, balcony or terrace

1 the mobile meadow

We all dream of fields full of flowers but Isabelle Palmer, @thebalconygardener and author of Modern Container Gardening (£16, Hardie Grant), has a way to get the look in miniature. She cuts circles of wild flower turf (from pictorialmeadows.co.uk) to fit compost-filled pots. ‘The turf is easy to establish and these containers will attract bees and butterflies,’ says Isabelle.

2 the retro plant

Conifers, those mid-century stalwarts, are making a return, thanks to gardeners such as Matt Keightley, Charlotte Harris and Fergus Garrett, but it’s all about context. At Great Dixter, Fergus grows them in the Exotic Garden alongside supersize tropical plants including bananas and palms to create an immersive Jurassic atmosphere. They look equally good in pots – use a 50/50 mix of ericaceous and loam-based compost.

3 the jungle wall

Architect Sheppard Robson is creating Europe’s largest green wall, featuring 400,000 plants, at Holborn’s Citicape House. But these walls can work on any scale; designer Jane Brockbank used jungle walls in raised beds in a garden. ‘We needed to screen the ugly back wall of a garage,’ she says. The planting not only softened the boundary but evergreens, including black bamboo, Fatsia japonica and Pittosporum tobira ‘Nana’ also look good year-round.

4 the colour block

Walls are getting punchy thanks to sophisticated renders. Deep colours can bring drama to outdoor spaces like this São Paulo patio garden owned by set designer Michell Lott, which is featured in the book Plant Tribe (£25, Abrams). The plum wall works brilliantly with the burgundies and purples of the plants, which include Euphorbia cotinifolia, dark philodendrons, begonias and coleus.

5 the feature tree

Want a tree but not sure you have space? A multi-stem variety is more expensive than a standard one but it will provide an instant focal point and structure. Amelanchier lamarckii is a landscaper favourite – it will only grow to a height and spread of 4x3m and it’s a year-round performer with delicate white f lowers in spring with copper leaves that turn a lush green in summer and a fiery orange in autumn.

6 the potted kitchen

Gardener and cook Aaron Bertelsen has poured all of his knowledge about growing edibles in small spaces into Grow Fruit & Vegetables in Pots (£24.95, Phaidon). He recommends starting with salad leaves such as mustard or chicory and herbs such as parsley, mint or lovage – all of which will regrow every time you cut them. His lettuce soup is a great way to use a glut of produce.

7 the beneficial boundary

A native hedge, such as hawthorn, will provide food and a habitat for wildlife but it will also help screen noise from the street. Designer Matt Keightley recommends cotoneaster, yew or red cedar, which are good at ‘catching’ pollution. If you can’t plant a hedge then Matt suggests ‘layering’ shrubs such as box or bamboo as well as climbers in pots – this vegetation, including evergreen laurel, photinia, holly and cypress, will also help to filter sound.

8 the pot colony

A collection of containers is the new way to garden, but there are tricks to make it work. ‘Sticking to either angular or round pots leads to a coherent finish, as does limiting the materials,’ says Tom Harris, author of Pots for All Seasons (£20, Pimpernel Press). Here, Tom combined spiky cordylines and phormiums with soft Japanese maples for a low-maintenance scheme.

9 the maximalist houseplants

Even more is more when it comes to indoor plants. Hang them high and include large ones in pots to create a true interior jungle. Monstera and ferns live inside if they have good sunlight and are kept moist.

10 the right light

Well thought out lighting can bring your outdoor space to life in the evening; illuminate a tree, large shrub or grasses with uplighters to create drama. For a big scheme, you’ll need an electrician to install the correct wiring; but single uplighters (some of the best are from Luxr or Hunza) that are anchored in the soil can run from an LED cable from a mains power point.

11 the ones for birds

Arthur Parkinson, gardener and author of The Pottery Gardener (£25, The History Press), created a wildlife garden on a barren plot of land opposite his Nottinghamshire home. He advises using crab apples, pink rowan and fruiting bushes such as spindle (all of which have pretty blossom) to provide a winter feast for birdlife. And don’t rush to cut down patches of nettles – they serve as crucial habitats for red admiral and tortoiseshell butterflies.

12 the timber

Wood is this year’s sustainable material of choice, whether it’s a simple sleeper bench or using timber in novel ways. Landscaper Bowles & Wyer won an award for a space that uses reclaimed oak posts to frame a path. Alternatively blackened timber can bring a contemporary feel says designer Mandy Buckland of Green cube, who notes ‘a rise in popularity of charred timber for decking and the use of shou sugi ban – the ancient Japanese woodburning technique.’

13 the planet friendly

Hardscaping is becoming greener with crazy paving or spaced pavers that allow rainwater to seep into the ground rather than run off into drains. In a small urban garden, designer Stuart Craine used spaced concrete beams to create a path that allows plants, such as mind-your-own-business to creep into the crevices. This looser approach to paving softens the look of a path, creates better drainage and provides habitats for wildlife, too.

14 the medicinal plants

Healing plants are a big theme this year; plant camomile and mint in window boxes or in pocket planters on a wall to make your own infusions. Get to know medicinal plants at the Chelsea Physic Garden (chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk) or check out the queen of things herbal, Jekka Mcvicar ( jekkas.com). She has the widest selection of varieties online.

15 the shade lovers

For small city gardens, Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg of Harris Bugg Studio recommend resilient plants that cope with lack of sun, pollution and variable soil conditions caused by climate change. ‘Good choices are the guelder rose shrub Viburnum opulus and Sesleria autumnalis, a lush semi-evergreen grass,’ say the duo. ‘For f lower interest, add back-in-fashion begonias and aquilegias with blooms in elegant white or bolder colours.’

16the green roof

Living roofs – we love sedums – are great for the environment and perfect for that working from home space. ‘Their benefits include absorbing polluting carbon dioxide and helping to prevent localised f looding by soaking up rainwater,’ says garden designer Helen Elks-smith, elks-smith. co.uk. ‘Take advice from a professional on installing a green roof safely, maximising plant diversity and ensuring drainage is adequate so that it thrives long-term.’