Designing with plants: selecting plants for a large exposed rural garden
We’re taking a closer look at a planting design for Nicole & Jon who live in a country farmhouse on an exposed site on Ilkley Moor.
We take a deep dive into the design decisions behind just a small selection of the plants chosen.
We share the rationale behind selecting plants and how each individual plant contributes to the overall planting scheme and vision of the garden.
To the untrained eye, a planting plan may look like a simple colourful drawing illustrating a collection of plants chosen for their colours. In reality, there is much more to it.
Plant selection is about our experienced judgement, observation and the relationship between individual plants.
A professional planting designer considers the site, the house-garden architecture, the garden’s use, the client’s preferences, maintenance requirements and how the plants will work together and complement each other over time.
The colours are just there to help communicate the variety and layout at a glance.
Planting design starts with understanding both the client and the site.
This is not the place to describe in detail planting design – there are numerous textbooks and day long courses that do this. So for the purposes of this case study we have attempted to categorise our decisions as concisely as possible in the table below.
The planting design process involves numerous considerations, some of which are established during the initial concept stage, while others are explored in greater detail when selecting and specifying individual plants. Sometimes there are factors that are considered at both stages!
At garden design concept stage | At plant selection stage |
|---|---|
Year-round structure | Client specific plant & colour preferences |
Framing views and screening | Soil type and drainage |
Scale and proportion | Seasonal interest and bulbs |
Garden style | Aspect & exposure – sun, shade, wind |
Plant layers: broad locations | Planting layers: tree, shrub, ground cover, seasonal theme |
Maintenance requirements | Plant and colour combinations |
Existing plants to retain | Blending with the wider landscape |
Biodiversity, edible and ornamental priorities | Maintenance requirements |
Selecting plants for an exposed site: the thinking about our choices
1. Planting design for Year round Structure around the courtyard
Four Amelanchier arborea ‘Robin Hill’ frame this water feature and create a quadrant about the courtyard. Amelanchier provide seasonal interest with spring flowers, small berry fruit in autumn alongside the turning of leaf colour to oranges and yellows.
At the sourcing stage, we specified ‘Standards’ (trees with a 1.8m clear stem). These vertical trunks will provide a framework around the courtyard whilst allowing users to walk around them easily. This is important as they frame various circulation routes around the garden.
Standard trees also maintain open views from within the garden. Multistem trees or voluminous shrubs would block the visual access to the moors.
These trees were also chosen for our Clients as they require minimal maintenance. These trees only require occasional pruning once every 2-3 years (by someone who is skilled in pruning).
The inclusion of the four trees was decided at Concept Stage. Plant selection was decided at the Planting Design stage.
2. Plant selection of evergreen structure to unify the whole scheme
Prunus lusitanica (Portuguese laurel) was chosen for its resilience, ease of maintenance and flexibility in form. This shrub can cope with the exposed site, isn’t too fussy about ground conditions, can be pruned hard or trimmed lightly. Thus this plant can be used creatively for sculptured hedging, repeated structural forms (eg balls) and pleached trees for screening.
Using the same plant in its various forms unifies the whole planting scheme. The evergreen forms provide interest in the greyest months in Winter.
Along with its dark green leaves (colour science perspective – dark colours being more recessive in appearance), this shrub does not detract from the seasonal interest plants.
3. Seasonal plants for summer
Leucanthemum x superbum ‘Becky’ a daisy style flowering plant mirrors Leucanthemum vulgaris commonly known as oxeye daisy which is a widespread grassland perennial. This seasonal theme plant goes well with a cultivated grass such as Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ which blends well with the moorland and context next to grassy fields.
Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ was chosen due to its relative height next to the daisy perennial and because it can withstand a windy site – despite bending in high winds it will bounce back straight when winds subside.
Lavandula intermedia is a favourite species of mine and ‘Phenomonal’ is one I tried at home and was available from a local supplier. For impact, lining a path provides an attractive feature whilst the plant complements other plants favourited by the Client.
This image also shows the careful selection of purple foliage shrubs to complement colours of perennials. Here we have used Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diablo’ and Cotinus coggygria. This seasonal planting complementing the structural evergreen Portuguese laurel.
Looking beyond the first 2 years
One of the most important things to remember when looking at a newly planted garden is that the planting design represents a mature vision.
Trees and shrubs in particular need time to establish and develop their full form. Perennials and grasses respond as communities with the fittest surviving and flourishing. Our previous blogs in the series discuss this topic in more detail.
Maintaining the vision and your investment
A successful planting plan isn’t simply a list of plants and a colourful drawing. It is a carefully considered response to a particular site and the people who will use it. The design decisions may not always be obvious when you look at the finished garden, but they are what help turn a collection of plants into a cohesive, functional and beautiful garden.
A well-designed garden with follow up occasional support is about making the right decisions for you, your garden and your long-term investment.
This post follows on from two others showcasing the same project. We explored why a newly planted garden needs time to develop, as well as revealing some of the key features and interventions that shaped the design.
Share this post
Adding value to your property
Probably the most significant for many homeowners is how much will the overall garden investment add to the value of your home. A widely held view within the industry is that a well designed garden could add anywhere between 5-15% onto the value of your property. Think of your garden as an asset to your property.
If you were only thinking about the financial added value (and not the other reasons above) it would be reasonable to invest up to 10% of the property value on your outdoor space, depending on what you want.
The other thing to bear in mind is how quickly your property would sell if on the market. A well designed garden is likely to help you sell your house much quicker, especially if there’s attractive kerb appeal at the front.
Building and planting a garden is a financial investment and should be considered similar in value as building an extension to your house or installing a new kitchen.
If you were only looking for the financial return, it would make sense to plan the garden for this purpose.