As a garden designer, having recently moved house, I have the joyful proposition of designing and creating my garden. This year, I am sharing the process of building a garden with you from a different perspective. What is fascinating about a garden is that within months, you can have a full fruition space that lifts your spirits and changes how you live.

Taking on a new garden can have varying complications: be it a blank canvas with nothing in it; just fence lines! Multiple plants and shrubs that you find in the dormant period are hard to identify, and perennial weeds have taken hold. Even unpredictable microclimates! With beautiful views comes an open aspect, which can be windy and brutally cold in the winter, or if you have sunken topography, you could be in a frost pocket. These conditions could be new to you and challenging to predict; the key is just getting started. And here are three with easy wins for Spring:

1. Enjoy a trip to the garden centre, yes, this is a license to go shopping regularly, for each season when you need colour, visit the garden centre to see what looks good, buy in threes or choose plants you know you can propagate. Impact comes from repetition.

2. Sow Hardy Annuals directly into the soil – If you have an empty area in a border, you can sow directly. Clear of weeds and create a loose crumb structure to sow into. With a lawn, try dressing with compost or topsoil over the lawn to a depth of about 5 cm and then sow into that. Choose annuals like Poppies, Calendula, or Love in a mist.

3. Improve your boundaries- Soften boundary lines with green plantings, vigorous climbers, or hedge climbers. Plants like Wisteria on a sunny fence line and climbing hydrangea on the shady sides will perform their socks off for you.

It’s the perfect time to get gardening, so why not try one of the above this weekend?

Lucie Giselle Ponsford – Creative Director & Founder/Head Garden Designer.
Landline: 01844 396 881
Mob: 07737286784
Offices: Sanderum Centre,
38, Oakley Road, Chinnor,
OX39 4TW
http://www.mimosagardendesign.com/.
https://www.facebook.com/lucie.ponsford/