The planting plan

The Planting Plan

In this lesson I'm going to show you how I start a planting plan and use it to help me judge numbers and proportions of plants.

A planting plan is like a map of your garden or a particular border, with circles of different sizes representing plants of different sizes.

When choosing plants for your garden, first choose your trees and shrubs for structure. We'll call this the top layer. This is followed by the middle layer (shrubs) and then the lower layer (bulbs, tubers, corms and perennials). When designing, follow this order and keep in mind that at each stage you're filling in the gaps.

• In a small garden you want small trees – check eventual height and spread and how fast-growing they are.
• In the garden at The Bell I've used olive and fruit trees for the main tall structure.

You can use different forms too, such as standards and multi-stems.

• Multi-stem trees are great for small gardens for a branching effect.

The Middle Layer

Once you've chosen and placed your trees, look for evergreen shrubs that will give year-round interest. I've used:

• Rosemary, which fits in with the relaxed style of this garden, but in a city I might use yew, which can be clipped into shapes.
• Rosa rugosa, with pink blooms are followed by red hips for autumn interest
• Ornamental grasses such as Calamagrostis to give autumn structure

The Lower Layer

After the structure is in place, look at the rest of the planting that will bring colour and interest. I've used:

• bulbs such as tulips and daffodils in spring
• perennials then take over.

I've used low-maintenance perennials:

• hardy geraniums e.g. 'Rozanne'
• Erigeron karvinskianus – border front but also self-seeds into crevices to give naturalistic effect
• Salvias
• Sedums (now Hylotelephium)

A Rule of Thumb for Plant Proportions

The relative numbers of trees, shrubs and perennials you need will depend on what mood you want to create in your garden, but as a rule of thumb, I'd suggest three shrubs to every tree, and three to five perennials for every shrub.

The Planting Plan is a Guide to Work From

Creating a planting plan will help you buy the right numbers of plants.

They can be drawn quite precisely, but it's important to place your plants and move them around to make sure they look right in real life as well as on paper.

The key is to have the right number of plants and that the plants work together as a palette.

Timing for Planting

Plant trees and shrubs during the dormant season – roughly November-February.

• Buy bare-root trees and shrubs during this time – these are cheaper and establish well.

Plant perennials and late-summer-flowering bulbs/corms/tubers such as dahlias in March-April.

Plant spring bulbs such as tulips and daffodils in October-November.

Summer Bulbs for a Late Show

As perennials fade, summer bulbs such as dahlias and Gladioli pick up the colour.

Considerations for Placement

Think about where you want to place your trees:

• Do you want to screen something in a neighbouring garden?
• Don't plant trees too close to the house
• Allow enough distance between trees and shrubs for them to grow and still have space
• Avoid placing in straight lines unless looking for a formal/geometrical layout

Trees can be used to create a welcome – here they've been pruned to bow over the entrance so you walk under them.

Structure from Some Hardy Perennials

Perennials can give structure too. Think about foliage, especially when it emerges in spring:

• Globe artichoke – large silver leaves create light domes in spring
• Nepeta – silvery leaves and blue flowers, loved by pollinators

Some Additional Thoughts

The edible hedge is a forest farm – pear, hazel, roses, apples, blackberries, Amelanchier.

• Amelanchier berries are edible though not tasty, but it's a beautiful ornamental small tree

Old tree trunks and logs have been placed in the planting to create structure and habitat for wildlife.

Stick to a small palette of plants in a small space, for a relaxing feel and to keep maintenance down. Keep it simple and then repeat those chosen plants:

• 2-3 different plants for structure
• 3-5 perennials with successional interest through the seasons

A Garden is to be Enjoyed

Keep in mind that one of the most important things about a garden is that people can relax in it and enjoy it.

Over to You

Now it's your chance to think about what you want in your garden. Remember:

• structure
• layers of planting to bring interest throughout the year
• right plant right place – choose plants that will thrive in your garden's conditions (sun/shade, damp/dry, etc.).

Your Assignment

Jot down some ideas for three trees, three shrubs and six perennials and bulbs that you might like to include in your garden in the table below. Then note the flowering time for each and the conditions it needs (e.g. sun/shade, damp/dry), ensuring these match the conditions in your garden.

Sources of inspiration:

• Visit local gardens (look back to the links in lesson 3 to find gardens close to you)
• Look at what grows well in neighbours' gardens
• Use the RHS Find a Plant tool, filtering according to what conditions your garden has, what colours you like, what season of interest you're looking for and more, to find the right plants for you
• Look in books for inspiration

Plant Directory

Calamagrostis species and cultivars

Feather reed-grass

Ornamental deciduous grass

Poaceae

Corylus avellana

Hazel

Hardy deciduous large shrub or small tree

Betulaceae

Cydonia oblonga

Quince

Hardy deciduous large shrub or small tree

Rosaceae

Cynara cardunculus (Scolymus Group)

Globe artichokes

Hardy herbaceous perennials

Asteraceae

Dahlia species and cultivars

Dahlias

Tender or half-hardy perennials, often grown as half-hardy annuals

Asteraceae

Erigeron karvinskianus

Mexican fleabane

Hardy semi-evergreen perennial

Asteraceae

Geranium 'Rozanne'

Cranesbill 'Rozanne'

Hardy perennials

Geraniaceae

Hylotelephium species and cultivars (previously Sedum)

Ice plants, stonecrops

Hardy herbaceous perennials

Crassulaceae

Lavandula species, hybrids and cultivars

Lavenders

Hardy or half-hardy evergreen small shrubs

Lamiaceae

Malus domestica cultivars

Apples

Hardy deciduous trees

Rosaceae

Amelanchie

Narcissus species and cultivars

Daffodils

Bulbous hardy perennials

Amaryllidaceae

Nepeta species, hybrids and cultivars

Catmint

Hardy herbaceous perennials, occasionally annuals

Lamiaceae

Olea europaea

Olive

Half-hardy or hardy evergreen tree

Oleaceae

Prunus spinosa

Blackthorn

Hardy deciduous small tree

Rosaceae

Pyrus communis

Pear

Hardy deciduous tree

Rosaceae

Rosa canina

Dog rose, wild rose

Hardy deciduous shrub

Rosaceae

Rosa species, hybrids and cultivars

Roses

Hardy deciduous or semi-evergreen shrubs or scrambling climbers

Rosaceae

Rosa rugosa cultivars

Japanese rose

Hardy deciduous shrub

Rosaceae

Rubus fruticosus cultivars

Blackberries

Deciduous or evergreen fruiting scramblers

Rosaceae

Salvia rosmarinus

Rosemary

Hardy evergreen shrub

Lamiaceae

Salvia species

Sages

Hardy, half-hardy or tender annuals, biennials, perennials or shrubs

Lamiaceae

Sambucus nigra

Elder

Hardy deciduous large shrub or small tree

Viburnaceae

Taxus baccata

Yew

Hardy evergreen tree

Taxaceae

Tulipa species and cultivars

Tulips

Bulbous hardy perennials

Liliaceae