On our projects once the full garden design is complete we provide planting plans and schemes for the beds that have been created as part of the design makeover. Once the planting is installed and complete we hand over a maintenance schedule to help our clietns look after their new garden. However I feel as a garden designer it is important to educate my clients to the fact that gardens are forever evolving. Once the planting of a project is complete it is only the beginning of the gardens life. At this time of year I encourage them to sit back and enjoy the garden, however whilst doing so it is also a good time to review the garden and note changes that need to be made in the coming seasons.

Reviewing and refreshing is all part of understanding your garden and taking control of it. After all, you are the custodian of the garden and if you don’t like something or think it is to big then don’t be precious just get rid of it or prune it back.

There will always be loses in gardens due to the varying climatic conditions we currently experience, there will be hostile take overs where plants thrive a little too much and need to be edited out, shrubs that have outgrown there space will need to be pruned back to restore order and gaps need to be filled. August and Septemebr is the time to note this down as it is hard to remember how things looked once the summer is over.  

Aside from replacing and filling gaps it is also a good time to note plant combinations that have worked well. This maybe in terms of color, flowering styles or foliage combinations that look great. From noting these down you can always repeat them elsewhere in the garden which will enhance the overall effect and give the garden a pleasing sense of repetition and compliment what is existing.

Another thing worth noting is flowering seasons and when did the garden or planted border lack interest. This way when looking at introducing new plants to the garden gang you can focus on certain flowering times to add additional interest to the garden to give a more layered display to enjoy.

Next time you are sitting down with a cuppa or glass of vino enjoying the garden, get your garden note book out and start scribbling. Over the winter months when planning for the coming garden year, you will be thankful for this mine of information that you have created.