As the weather warms up, it's time to grab our trowels and head outside. Here, leading gardeners - based in Kent but with reputations that go way beyond the county - share their tips for creating beautiful, sustainable outdoor space, this spring and beyond!
Karen McClure
From her studio in Tunbridge Wells, award-winning Karen McClure and her team have been designing gardens of all shapes and sizes for over a decade.
Can you re-purpose what you already have?
Sometimes all that's needed when it comes to refreshing your garden is to look at what you've already got with a creative eye and a sharp pair of secateurs in your hands. Review existing trees and plants to see if they could gain a new lease of life from restorative pruning. If so, you should be able to create a fresh new look without too much disturbance to any resident habitats and without spending money on new plants unnecessarily.
Plan ahead
If you're embarking on a redesign, don't limit yourself only to what you can do now. With clever planning, constructive phasing and by thinking longer term, you can achieve your dream garden as and when time and your budget allows. A useful starting place is to devise a “wish list” of inspiration and to work out what's non-negotiable for you in terms of what you want to see in your outdoor space.
Love a tree!
Trees are a haven for wildlife, can be used to create “layers of height”, and at night can create a whole new ambiance when enhanced by a lighting scheme.Use pleached trees for clever screening, roof-top trees for canopies, brighten your winter landscape with interesting bark and colour - there's a variety for all types of space, so make the most of them!
Keep it simple
There is no such thing as a no-maintenance garden. f you lead a busy life and have limited time, a controlled planting palette keeps things simple. Go for a small number of carefully selected plant varieties that will work with your soil and with each other. Plant plenty of each one for sense of flow and repetition and always in odd numbers - threes, fives, sevens; avoid buying just one plant unless it’s a tree or shrub as a focal point. The overall result should be a garden that looks cared for all year round and - importantly – that you’ll have time to enjoy!
karenmcclure.co.uk
Marian Boswall
Based near Sissinghurst, Marian Boswall heads up a design practice that’s renowned for creating beautiful landscapes, with long term sustainability and connection with nature at their core.
This is my number-one piece of advice for any gardener – protect and feed your soil: it’s vital to the sustainability of your entire space. To protect it, retain moisture and feed the micro-organisms which feed your plants, mulch it regularly with organic matter.
Layer up
Always plant in layers, from ground cover to bulbs, taller plants, shrubs and trees – this together with a pond or natural water feature will help build up a self-supporting ecosystem in your garden.
Keep it loose
Lay loose surfaces like gravel for paths and drives and remove mortar between paving slabs to allow plant life to thrive. This also slows water run-off and allows natural cleansing of rainwater before pollutants can enter the water table.
Embrace cracks and crevices
Creating holes in everything from walls to a log pile means homes for wildlife. We’ve lost so much biodiversity that it’s vital to encourage it wherever we can. If you’ve got moss on old walls, don’t remove it – it’s another great air purifier!
Appreciate what you’ve got
Make use of nature’s bounty – of what’s available to forage now. Sorrel is wonderful in soups with its mild lemony flavour, lemon balm is great for anxiety and ground elder for gout: all may be thriving in your garden already, so help yourself for free!
Marian’s latest book, Sustainable Garden, is published by Frances Lincoln
marianboswall.com
Lou Dowle & Steven Edney
Lou and Steve run The No Name Nursery in Sandwich. Steve, formerly head gardener for Canterbury Cathedral and at The Salutation in Sandwich, won Gold at Chelsea Flower Show in 2019, while Lou has won Kent Wildlife Trust awards for her wildlife gardening.
Keep it local
Check that any plants you pick up at a nursery were actually grown on site or nearby. Not only will that have a massive impact on their carbon footprint, it’ll mean that the plants are more likely to cope with the situation in your own garden.
Pick an expert’s brains
Nurserymen and women are the ideal people to tell you what plant will work well where, so don’t be afraid to ask their advice – that’s what they’re there for!
Think outside the box
Steer clear of costly, short-lived seasonal bedding plants and instead consider hardy perennials with a far longer life. Large, blowsy pansies, for example, have a larger surface area, meaning they're more prone to damage in bad weather. A small-faced viola or a violet is likely to be far tougher and will last longer.
Shallow water features
Wildlife fear drowning in deep ponds, but need to drink. Put something as simple as an upturned dustbin lid filled with a bit of gravel onto a secluded patio and watch it attract everything from birds and bees to hedgehogs.
The No Name nursery sells via Plants Fair Roadshow plant-fairs.co.uk - catch them at Spring Fling, Great Comp Garden near Sevenoaks on April 16 (greatcompgarden.co.uk), or contact Steve direct at steven.edney@live.com
In the summer, Lou and Steve open their own garden, Sweetbriar, as part of the NGS scheme - see ngs.org.uk for opening times.
