Selecting the correct plants for your environment

The correct selection of plants for your garden design is vital not only for their health but to create a desired effect, e.g. to create a tropical garden, the lush green leaf foliage of plants such as monstera deliciosa  is essential, whereas a modern garden would incorporate more architectural plants such as flaxes or succulents.

First and foremost, there is no point wasting money on plants that will not survive and thrive in your garden’s specific environmental factors such as soil type, weather and positioning of garden beds in view of sunlight (or lack of it).

A phrase often used in plant selection is drought tolerance. This is an important point to bear in mind if choosing plants for garden beds that will have little or no access to water. Indigenous plants to your area are worthwhile bearing in mind.

It is useful to view plants as a material used to create the whole, asking yourself “What style of landscape garden do I want to create?”. Then choosing plants that suit this style – rather than plonking in plants that you purchased on a whim because they looked pretty, but are ultimately unsuitable.

Of course, we all have sentimental attachments to certain plants, memories of hot and heady summer nights may be triggered by the smell of jasmine, or a rose may make us think of a special event such as a wedding. Where it is not possible to place some of our favourite plants in our garden if they won’t flourish, pots with the appropriate potting mix are a great alternative.