Maximum Effect, Minimum Spend

Our resident gardening expert Conrad McCormick explains how to use repetition and propagation to build fuller borders that require less time, effort and expense.

April has a way of exposing things in the garden. Once the winter tidy is done and the ground is visible again, it becomes obvious where planting feels a bit thin, where the garden lacks a sense of flow, with plants sitting as individuals rather than as part of a wider picture. Most of us want borders that feel connected rather than bitty. Spaces where planting works together, where the eye glides from one area to the next. At this time of year, though, it is easy to focus on what is missing rather than what is already there. The natural assumption is that the answer must be more plants, more variety, more colour. But the solution can lie much closer to home. April makes it easier to see what has come back strongly, what is already putting on growth, and which plants look settled and comfortable thriving in their surroundings. Rather than constantly introducing new plants, tempting as that can be, now’s a good time to start thinking about making more of the ones you already trust.

Read more in the April issue…