Right now we are all spending, if we are lucky enough to live in the country, more time in our gardens and enjoying having our very own space to enjoy.
Many people say to me when they are looking at houses, that they love gardens, but what are they going to do with all that space, especially if they have come out of London where their garden is typically small, maybe sometimes only a small balcony to enjoy.
Having an acre or more can actually be quite daunting to some, but actually there are many elements you can add to make it become somewhere to cherish and grow such as an orchard with long grasses underneath, where you can add additional colour with spring bulbs or beautiful wildflower seeds, which will attract the bees come summer.
Cutting some paths through the area can make for a great place to walk and enjoy the day and early evening, or if you have more than 3 acres then a wooded area could possibly be an idea to look into developing with many local companies on hand to help plant them and maintain them for you as well as some potential financial support for planting to help with local sustainability and growth- please do drop me a line if you need any help with the garden as I have a number of great contacts Id be happy to recommend as whatever you do to a garden it will add value to the home as well as give added enjoyment to be able to watch a beautiful space bloom and grow.
The traditional English border can be maintained fairly easily with lovely flowers that come out every year and which have some structure to them, such as roses or box balls. The picture featured above is of my garden and ok, I agree you don’t necessarily need a Buxus ball this big but I do have a real passion for gardening as well as the variety of colour on offer, so for me, it’s not that big. My original idea was to fill it with as much as possible so the weeds find it harder to come through and be less maintenance, but it’s funny how quickly space reduces down in a garden when you start adding all manner of different things to it. Of course, you may just want to have swathes of green fields to peruse of which you may be lucky enough to know a local sheep farmer who may be very happy to use said fields for his flock, thus looking after your land for you and in exchange, you get the grass cut and a beautiful view.
You may be sitting there wondering how big an acre is or 3 acres is, well a football pitch is 2 acres. Of course, if you love your sport or the family is keen, then both tennis and swimming are both key features that can be added to your garden. You can add a court subject to planning which you may need depending on the area, which you can then have the family round for a game or even offer private hire or tuition. There is also the option of a swimming pool, equally planning may be needed for one, but the range on offer today is huge, including natural water pools, which can offer a stunning alternative to the typical everyday rectangular shape.
For smaller spaces, for example, a townhouse, I would advise the use Astroturf to make it look permanently green with a range of potted flowers around the borders such as lavender, which will give interest, colour and the most beautiful of aromas. These plants are easy to maintain and can guarantee some colour for much of the year. Buxus balls also work well in smaller areas and can be grown as small hedging or as featured plants.
There are many garden designers around who I can highly recommend if you are looking for some support or design work with the garden so it does not have to be at all daunting, more than often exciting and as Audrey Hepburn said “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow”