Coombs - Plans for small gardens

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ANN-MARIE POWELLS

PLANS

FOR

SMALL

GARDENS

DESIGN BUILD MAINTAIN ENJOY

First published as Hardback in Great Britain in 2012 by

Pavilion

1 Gower Street

London, WC1E 6HD

by Pavilion Books Group Limited

www.pavilionbooks.com

Twitter: @PavilionFood1

Design and layout Pavilion, 2011

Text Ann-Marie Powell, 2011

Illustrations Ann-Marie Powell, 2011

Photography Rachel Warne, 2011

Commissioning editor: Emily Preece-Morrison

Designer: Paul Tilby

Editor: Nina Sharman

Indexer: Sandra Shotter

Jacket designed by Georgina Hewitt

All photographs by Rachel Warne, except page 174, which is by Katie Inglis.

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

First eBook publication 2014

ISBN 9781909815698

Also available as Hardback

ISBN 9781862058767

This book can be ordered direct from the publisher at

www.pavilionbooks.com, or try your local bookshop.

CONTENTS

Statement plants work well in small gardens. Choose architectural foliage, long-flowering blooms or bold flowers. Border gaps are a great way of growing vegetables in the tiniest of plots.

With careful design, even the most awkward of urban spaces can become a garden, offering a tranquil oasis in which to rest the eye and recharge the soul.

INTRODUCTION

W hether in town or in the middle of the country, looking out on to your garden can be an overwhelming experience, stirring up a wealth of emotions. It may be that looking out at your garden leaves you excited, depressed or simply confused, but theres no denying that any outdoor space is precious, no matter what size it is. Once built, even the smallest garden plays an important part in extending the useable space of your property, becoming an outdoor room to enhance you and your familys quality of life.

Often, as you stare out from your window to consider the outdoor space beyond, a bout of head-scratching will ensue, culminating in a list of befuddling questions: what to do with the space, what to include, where to begin, what and how to build features, and what to plant?

It is important not to feel overwhelmed or disheartened by all of these considerations; the plot of land outside of your house is essentially a combination of elements, which, when combined together, can create the perfect garden to suit your needs. The secret to creating a successful garden, particularly when space is at a premium, is to consider those things that are most important to you, such as the individual characteristics of soil type, or how the surrounding environment might affect your garden. Dont be tempted to include the wide lawn, tall trees and deep planting borders associated with larger gardens; attempting to reduce all of these elements to fit in to a small space will result in an uncohesive muddle where nothing seems quite large enough and your garden begins to feel crowded. Concentrate on those elements that suit your personal style, and that lend themselves to your lifestyle, with its possible time constraints, the style of your house and the surroundings that your garden lies within. Once youve considered these factors you can develop the essential elements of your garden to create maximum impact. Remember that less is sometimes more. Your garden can be limited to only a few elements but still be strikingly effective; a low-maintenance, minimalist terrace surrounded by a few carefully selected structural plants and sculptural elements which change through seasons, weather and light can be a wonderful place to relax in or contemplate from indoors. Whilst vegetables can be mixed through wider plantings, your small space garden can become an urban potager, or a family friendly garden built to attract wildlife. The choice is ultimately yours.

Successful gardens rarely happen on their own, they are usually carefully planned and designed in order to maximize their potential. This is extremely important in the small garden, which is open to intense scrutiny; in a small space, the whole garden can be viewed and assessed in one glance. As a rule of thumb, the smaller the garden, the more important good design becomes. Keep things simple, stick to one overall style, choose complementary materials and plants, and never be tempted to cram in more features than your space will allow. Planning the whole garden in advance is crucial to its success.

An important exercise is to create a wish list of what youd ideally like your garden to include. Next, realistically consider how many features your garden will have room for, what time you will need to look after your garden and, equally important, what budget you have to construct your garden. Drawing up a scale plan of your ultimate garden is not only a good way of working through your planned inclusions, it will also help you to identify the features that are essential as well as those that you can live without. A plan will also allow you to work out practical sizes for seating areas, border size and storage options too. Finally, a scale presentation plan illustrating the end result of your space will allow you to realistically consider the space you have to work with and what quantities of materials you will need always remember that plans indicate space, and material selections and initial plant purchase size can be up or downgraded depending on how much you have to spend.

Most often, particularly if this small outdoor space is your first, deciding upon what you actually like can be the biggest hurdle to overcome. And this is where I hope this book will help. Hopefully, within one of the ten variously styled gardens included, youll find a style that suits you, elements from different gardens that you might like to combine, or a starting point from which to interpret and develop a garden that is personal to you.

Once youve decided upon the style youd like to take, the garden will begin to unfold. In these pages youll find helpful advice on choosing materials and plants, building the garden yourself, or employing professionals to carry out the work for you. There are also comprehensive material and plant lists for each project, which will take the mystery out of the sometimes daunting prospect of building your own garden and tackling various horticultural techniques. However you choose to interpret these various tried and tested garden projects, and whatever style you choose, be confident enough to go with your instincts and enjoy the journey. After all, gardens are for people, not just for plants, and though the gardens within these pages were designed and constructed for others, they will hopefully offer you the inspiration and help to develop a garden that is distinctly yours.