Amateur Gardening – 10 July 2019

52 AmAteur GArDeNING 6 JULY 2019

Curve the edges of lawns

for a more natural look

Ideas for gorgeous gardens

Get lookthe

Make room for herbs: troughs of mint and chives

thrive in a sunny spot next to the kitchen door

Make the most of every planting

opportunity to inject colour into a

small garden, such as placing hanging

baskets under roof eaves

Embrace metal garden

sculptures, such as these

arum lilies and fish pieces

of plants, with the yellow tulip ‘Bright
Gem’ making several appearances.
Glen and Natalie have lived in their
home since it was built in 1991 and have
made the most of the opportunity to
put their stamp on their garden.
“I designed the garden, which was
basically a slope when we came here,”
explains Natalie.

Diversity in planting
“The different levels get the sun at
different times of the day: we get really
good morning sunshine on the patio at
the bottom of the garden, but during the
summertime it’s usually gone from there
by around 2pm, while the top of the
garden benefits from it until about 7pm.
“The layout of the garden allows for
plenty of diversity in planting, with the
fences creating shady areas that neatly
contrast with the full sun on parts of the
patio. It gives a lot of variety.

What works with soil and position
“When choosing plants, I look for
things that will work with our soil and
the different amounts of light and space
available. Being 650ft (200m) above sea
level it can get quite windy here, so we
have to be mindful of that, too. We have
a couple of compost heaps and I use
what we produce to mulch the soil to
help retain as much moisture as possible.”
All in all, the garden is a living
extension of the house – an area that
is filled with colour and life.
“We spend as much time as possible
out here,” says Glen. “It adds so much
to our lives.”