| The first step in designing your garden is to draw an | | | | Introducing tall plants is an easy way of introducing |
| accurate ground plan so you know exactly how | | | | vertical shapes into your planting scheme. For |
| much space you have to work with. One mistake | | | | summer colour, hollyhocks and giant sunflowers are |
| many people make after measuring the length and | | | | fun to grow and impossible to overlook. Bamboos are |
| width is to forget that there's another important | | | | fast growing but might need to be contained, and |
| dimension – height. Extending your garden | | | | many ornamental grasses are not only tall but also |
| upwards adds visual interest, can make your garden | | | | come in some striking colours. |
| appear larger, and provides additional growing space, | | | | Trees are the tallest plants you can grow, but must |
| which is especially valuable in a small garden. | | | | be chosen with care if you have limited space. Large |
| Flat Garden | | | | trees too close to buildings can cause expensive |
| If you have a flat garden with the majority of plants | | | | problems. They will also shade a large area and take |
| at the same low level, consider using any boundary | | | | a lot of water from the ground, which will affect |
| fences or walls to support climbing plants. A long, | | | | other plants in the vicinity. |
| blank wall can provide year-round colour and interest | | | | Before you buy a tree check the maximum height it |
| if it's covered with a carefully chosen selection of | | | | will reach and how far the roots will spread. If you |
| climbers. Some plants and shrubs will need trellis or | | | | have any doubts it's always best to get expert |
| guide wires to help them reach the heights while | | | | advice. The good news is that many specialist tree |
| others can scramble up perfectly well on their own. | | | | nurseries can offer small and dwarf varieties that will |
| Fenced Garden | | | | live happily in restricted spaces. |
| If you are planting against a fence be aware that | | | | Vertical Gardening |
| some mature climbers can be quite heavy so check | | | | A relatively new idea in garden design, but one that is |
| that the fence posts are firm and the fence itself is | | | | generating a lot of interest, is vertical gardening or |
| strong enough to take the extra weight. | | | | creating living walls. The idea is to grow plants close |
| Arches, pergolas and obelisks are popular ways of | | | | together in individual pockets formed in a panel that |
| introducing some height. You can buy them | | | | has a built-in irrigation system. One or more of these |
| ready-made, choosing a design to fit in with the | | | | panels are then fixed to a wall. Once the plants are |
| overall style of your garden, or construct your own. | | | | established the panel is hidden beneath the foliage |
| A wide range of plants, decorative, edible or both, | | | | giving the impression that the plants are growing out |
| can be trained over them. One word of advice: a | | | | of the wall. The possibility of growing strawberries |
| rose-covered archway looks romantic but you won't | | | | next to your bedroom window is certainly intriguing! |
| love it if you get scratched every time you pass | | | | Planning new features to add height to your garden |
| through! For roses without tears make sure you | | | | is the easy part. Carrying out those plans can involve |
| choose from the many thornless climbing and | | | | skills you might not have and time you cannot spare. |
| rambling varieties that are available. | | | | Discuss your ideas with a professional landscape |
| Planted Garden | | | | gardener and benefit from his or her experience. |