A is for action plan Before you do
anything, consider the three Ss, says
Lori Laing, gardener and co-founder
of Laing Landscapes: sun (how much
your garden gets, and from what
direction ) ; soil type; and sitting spot.
“Plan the space around how you
will relax in it,” Laing says. “If it’s a
north-facing garden, the best place
for a bench may be the far corner
where you were going to plonk
a shed.” (For more on soil, see S)
B is for b irds Ignore the old advice
on feeding only in winter, says RSPB
wildlife gardener Adrian Thomas :
spring is an especially hungry time
for our feathery pals ( 13 ) , with nests
to build after winter food stocks
have been depleted and insects
are scarce. “Put your feeder in an
elevated position, close to a bush or
tree, so the bird can dash for cover
if it needs to, though not so close
it will worry about predators,” he
says. Birds might not make it up to
a high balcony, but a feeder at tree
canopy height can be ideal, he says.
A good-quality metal feeder with a
spring-loaded defence should deter
squirrels (try reallywildbirdfood.
co.uk ), or for closer encounters
try plastic feed trays that stick
to windows. ( Don’t worry about
collisions, he says – it’s more
dangerous to hang feeders 6ft from
the glass, as startled birds can fl y
into it at speed.)
“Avoid very cheap bird seed mixes
as they can have hard wheat in them,
which birds don’t like,” he says.
A shallow bird bath is also important- but keep it safe from cats.
C is for cottagecore Rambling
country gardens, straw hats and
prairie dresses were all over Tik Tok
and Tumblr last year thanks to the
vogue for all things #cottagecore.
Want to create the look? “The
last yearthanks
vogue for all things #cottage
Want tocritical thing with a cottage garden
is the depth of the border,” says
Duncan Cargill of landscape
gardening company Cargill Sykes.
“Typically , tall plants such as
delphiniums or foxgloves ( 11 ) are at
the back, bushy roses in the middle,
then geraniums at ankle height. You
need a minimum depth of 150cm
to get that gradient.” Check out
designer Butter Wakefi eld ’s London
“country” garden on Instagram
for inspiration.
D is for dog p eeJumped on the
lockdown puppy bandwagon? If
your space is paved, create an area
with stones for drainage where your
dog ( 4 ) can pee. Lavender planted
around it will help mask the smell,
says garden designer Ula Maria.
Deter your pooch from digging (and
give your space instant structure) by
putting in raised beds. “ Some plants,
such as azaleas and delphiniums,
can be toxic for dogs so check before
you buy,” she adds.
E is for evergreen structure
Evergreen s provide the “bones”
of the garden, giving it form and
structure all year round, says
Duncan Cargill. He suggests clipped
yew ( 5 ) or the fast-growing i lex ( 1 )
as alternatives to the now disease-
prone box ball. For container
gardens, small space expert Isabelle
Palmer , founder of The Balcony
Gardener , suggests edging pots
with a trailing Icelandic ivy (“it
has such pretty heart-shaped
leaves” ) or muehlenbeckia.
F is for future-thinkingIf you
have a small balcony and
don’t want to waste precious
space on something that
looks good for only a few
weeks , choose plants
that fl ower for a long
time. Isabelle Palmer’s
failsafes are Mexican
daisy , c osmos ( 2 ; “ keep
deadheading and more
fl owers will comeback”), snapdragons , or hardy
wild geraniums.
G is for guess work Apps such as
Picture This or Plant Snap will help
you identify the mystery shrub
in a neighbour’s front garden.
Duncan Cargill also recommends
1930s gardening bible Plant Names
Simplifi ed by A P Stockdale,
A T Johnson and H A Smith.
H is for hydrangeas Tolerant of
light shade, hydrangeas will fi ll
an awkward, dappled corner of
your garden (ideally they like a
bit of morning sun), while the
deadheads bring beautiful bronze
structure to your beds in winter –
unless you decide to harvest them
for an indoor display. Hydrangea
arborescens ‘Annabelle’ (pictured
p33) , with its football-sized white
heads, looks amazing in dense
groups, says Laing (try crocus.co.uk ).
I is for inside-outside Echo your
interior look outside with an
open-air room , complete with
rugs, chairs and tables. Extend the
house by repeating a paint shade
you’ve used inside on a fence
or shed. Cargill suggests buying
“bridging ” plants that work inside
and out, such as g inger l ily or
Fatsia japonica.
...and Instagram
For country garden (and dahlia)
envy, follow gardener and fl oral
designer Charlie McCormick
( @mccormickcharlie ) and his
squad of ducks; Alice Vincent’s
@Noughticulture is great for
urban gardens; or
@humanswhogrowfood
for grow-your-own
stories from all over
the world.
J is for jungleYou’ll
never achieve that
sunbaked Provençal
lavender fi eld lookif your garden is steeped in shade,
so create a jungle instead, says Lori
Laing: “ Hostas ( 6 ), ferns ( 10 ) , and
gunnera ( 12 ) can turn a tiny north-
facing terrace into a lush garden that
envelops you with greenery.”
K is for keep a diary Use a garden
journal to not e plants you’ve bought
and when things are fl owering or
dying back, Cargill says. It’s an
invaluable way to understand the
seasons – and to help you remember
what you’ve planted, where, the
following year.
L is for lasagneBulb “lasagne ” is
the art of layering multiple bulbs
in one pot in late winter, which
then come up, layer by layer, in a
gorgeous spring relay. In a pot no
less than 40cm deep, add a layer of
compost, followed by a base layer of
tulip bulbs (you can pack them in,
just make sure they’re not touching),
cover with compost, then add a
layer of daff odils, cover with more
compost, then add grape hyacinths
or crocuses and your fi nal layer of
earth. Grit your compost generously
beforehand to provide good
drainage and sprinkle chilli powder
on top to deter bulb-eating squirrels.
Try Sarah Raven’s YouTube tutorial
for guidance.
M is for mulching Mulch is a layer
of organic material (compost, leaf
mould or manure) applied to the
surface of beds and pots to help
suppress weeds, lock in moisture
and improve soil quality. Make your
own by putting fallen leaves and
grass clippings in a sealed plastic
bin and leaving for at least a year to
break down. The RHS recommends
applying a two- to three- inch layer to
beds and pots in mid- to late spring
and autumn.
N is for nibblesThink vertically
when growing food in a small space,
says blogger Ashley Nwokorieever achieve thhat
sunbaked Provenençal
lavender fi eld looookN is forn
when gro
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