If you’re someone who finds solace in the company of a beautiful modern garden in Essex or Suffolk, you’ll know the joy that comes from seeing your green outside space thrive. Once planted, the question should be how do I establish a newly landscaped garden when complete?.
There’s something truly special about witnessing vibrant plant growth in a modern landscape. The positive development of our clients' newly planted gardens is what drives us. That’s why we’re here to share our insight to help establish planting scheme longevity. It might even make you a plant lover (even a plant addict)!
A garden planting scheme can change quickly, especially in its first two or three years. There are some tips, tricks and examples to sustaining a chic new garden planting scheme. Here's brand new front garden we designed and landscaped in Essex recently over its first 14 month period:
August 2023 - planted YR1 (baby plants freshly in the ground)
May 2024 - summer YR2 (fantastic growth, especially for the herbaceous perennials)
October 2024 - Autumn YR2 (shrubs have started to catch up on the perennials)
October 2024 - Post prune YR2 (season cut back of all plants to aid next years growth)
Quite surprising positive growth in a short period, right? We often see client's who forget the mature size of each plant in their beautiful new planting scheme. Growth will be extensive, not just in the first 14 months, so think about what the first 3 years could look like!
To help envisage the garden at maturity we provide an artists illustration of the garden landscaping and all the carefully selected planting. We also provide full plant and flower lists with their expected mature dimensions and care instructions. Rest assured, your new garden or outdoor space will become a lush and flourishing haven, if you consistently employ these tips:
Know your garden planting scheme design
Our designer led planting schemes utilise decades of plant knowledge and focus on creating a cohesive and visually appealing landscape so that each plant finds its perfect spot to flourish. We set the stage for abundant plant growth once we align each unique garden design with the natural conditions of the site. New build gardens, coastal gardens, damp gardens, dry gardens - they are just some of the considerations we cover. Before diving into changing newly installed planting, especially if your young plants haven't reached maturity, take confidence that all our completed planting schemes allow for mature plant sizes.
This means there will initially be carefully considered gaps, which are essential for healthy plant growth. Don't be tempted to squeeze in additional plants just because parts of the border look a little sparse to begin with.
Choose the right plants to add or subtract
Our changing weather is becoming increasingly unpredictable and extreme. We can have heavy frosts in May, torrential rain for 6 months and record breaking temperatures with drought conditions across the country... all in one year. Young and tender new plants and flowers can take a little time to reach their established ability to cope and there is the occasional loss. Conversely, some plants have such perfect conditions, they grow rapidly, multiplying exponentially. So, lets face it, plants can thrive or die (and anything in between), so keeping true to the initial planting scheme is ideal.
If you've already invested in one of our planting plans we always aim to deploy the right plants to the right places from trusted specialist and quality growers, which more resilient and better adapted to local UK conditions. Every garden has unique characteristics and selecting the right replacement plants, if you happen to lose a few, can make all the difference. As a gardener, you should opt for replacing like-with-like plants well-suited to your local climate and soil type.
Conversely, plants which quickly multiply and abundant new seedlings will need dividing and thinning, respectively, so refer back to the planting plan to help maintain planting scheme crispness. We are always on hand to provide free advice via our client WhatApp group or in person during a free 'walk the borders' chat.
Prune and trim to help promote self-supporting growth
Pruning not only helps with the visual appeal of plants, but it also transforms their health with a bushier and more sturdy shape. Don't be tempted to stake a plant if it would gain more benefit from a prune. Careful well-timed pruning helps a plant to grow in a self-supporting frame which will last the test of time and prevent splitting during windy weather.
The gangly, year two and three, growth for shrubs need careful pruning. Reshaping this growth is especially important to prevent drooping over underplanting or neighbouring shrubs and stunting their growth through lack of light. Regularly trimming away dead or diseased branches encourages new growth and prevents the spread of infection and pest infestation. Deadheading spent flowers will encourage continuous blooming and redirect the plant’s energy toward new growth.
The timing of pruning is something to master, however, especially as fading summer flowers have a particular beauty in autumn. Some varieties flourish with a July prune so their autumn form can be left untouched into winter. Likewise, leaving spent flower heads in autumn provides interesting winter forms on frosty mornings. We can quickly demonstrate plant pruning and help clients with in-person teaching sessions, or handle this directly on a paid for basis, for all our clients throughout Essex and Suffolk.
Feed with care and feed sparingly
Plants and flowers, like any living being, need nourishment in a new garden design. Fertilisers provide essential nutrients the soil may lack, especially as the plant is young and establishing growth both above ground and at root level. But the key is not to overdo it. Excessive use of chemical fertilisers leads to imbalances and harms beneficial soil organisms, so opt for organic or slow-release fertilisers, and follow the recommended application rates. We provide feeding bespoke advice when we hand over all our newly landscaped planting schemes by recommending products, timing and frequency. Here we also utilise our client WhatsApp group to help diagnose issues and suggest remedial acton.
Mulching the soil with professionally produced mushroom compost (a mixture of spent mushroom compost from farming with chicken and horse manure) is also a fantastic tonic for the borders every other year. It improves the soil composition, moisture retentiveness and weed suppression. I recommend a 'no dig' philosophy for planted border management to support positive root growth, which coupled with manure mulching is perfect for plants.
This combination of manure mulching and slow release fertiliser provides a balanced diet to keep your plants strong and vibrant, and your soil enriched. Ensure you understand your planting scheme, as not all plants should be fed with the same product or frequency (some plants need no feeding at all!).
And that's not all... there are many additional techniques for optimum plant development (from disease to watering and much more), which we outline in our previous blog post, here.
Don't be afraid to ask for help, we are here to help
We are always on hand to help with assessing each border, often popping in 3 times a year in the first 2 years - spring, summer and autumn. We provide planting schemes as part of design contracts, installing them during our landscape build phase.
We provide border refresh services, across Essex and Suffolk, for established gardens that have lost their planting identity or wow-factor. We can quickly transform a garden with expert planting schemes. Whether you're looking to enhance biodiversity, add seasonal colour, or simply maintain a thriving landscape, our tailored solutions ensure a garden remains vibrant and healthy year-round.
Contact Zoe on 07860283761 for a free garden consultation (covering the options and associated costs) to enhance your garden planting.
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