Quick-growing plants for speedy impact!

Whether it’s a new, bare plot, or an inherited garden, follow our guide on what to plant now for a fast transformation

Moving into a new garden, or transforming an old one into a new, dream outdoor space is exciting. As you stand at the window, looking out on to your new plot, that too can be exciting – but also daunting.

For whether you’re faced with an entirely empty space, a blank canvas for you to paint, or the culmination of someone else’s dreams or a mess of a space that failed to inspire your predecessor, it’s now up to you. So what are you going to plant?

A new house with an empty plot gives the opportunity to create an outdoor space to suit you and your family. But first, you need fastgrowing, adaptable varieties to plant straight away for quick colour. It doesn’t matter if they’re short lived – in a year or two you can replace them with your favourite long-term choices. Quick and colourful is what you’re after, and not expensive.

If you’re faced with an established garden featuring mature shrubs and climbers, however, the first thing to do is nothing – you need to assess what you have. After all, if the garden is full of naturalised daffodils you won’t know what you have until they flower. While you’re waiting to see what surprises your new garden will provide, go for colourful containers, annual climbers using mature shrubs for support plus annuals and vegetables in the gaps to keep everything colourful and productive.

Then, as the plants left for you reveal themselves, it’s time to make choices: in or out? Keep or compost? And the most important rule is this: if in doubt, chuck it out. Don’t allow a plant to irritate you for years before you finally get out the saw. This is your garden, not half yours and half someone else’s. So be ruthless!