Your new garden is built! It has size, shape and fresh soil, and now it’s time to plant… how exciting!!
Don’t be afraid or overwhelmed. I’m gonna give you a few pointers to help you
First off, I like to start with what I refer to as your anchor plants. This wil l consisit of your trees and shrubs! Trees and shrubs add height, size and shape/structure to your space.
Whether you choose your anchor for size, colour or bloom, they help to draw your eye through the garden and can also add winter interest. Once your larger elements are in place, you can work on choosing the perennials best suited for you and your garden.
It’s important to NOT overplant!! Pay attention to the mature size of all your plants and space accordingly by reading plant tags.
Gardening is a lot about patience. It usually takes 3–5 years for perennials and shrubs to reach maturity. Yep — 3–5 years, and for trees even longer!
This may help you… "First year it sleeps, second year it creeps, third year it leaps!!"
First Year
It’s all going on underground. Now is all about settling and establishing roots, deciding if it’s going to be happy in the space.
Second Year
It survived… YIPEE!! It’s now putting minimal–medium amounts of growth into becoming a bit bigger and even flowering! It’s happy & you’re happy!
Third Year
And we’re off!! It’s now well established and you’ll be seeing a big growth change.
To get through these early years of your garden, where you see empty space, use annuals — garden art and green plants — to fill while your garden matures.
Please, please don’t keep adding more shrubs or perennials! What can happen then is overplanting and crowding, both above & below the ground. This can lead to poor plant health — even death.
So be patient! Allow your plants to have the space they need, and in the end you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful garden!
Written by WGC Employee Dani
