Planting ideas for your garden from Tredegar House

Visiting other people's gardens, large or small, is a great source of ideas to bring home and try out in your own garden. I've been to Tredegar House in Newport looking for inspiration, and I've come back with several planting ideas that could enhance my garden, and yours.

Line your garden paths with scent - all year round!



How lovely it is to walk through the garden after work on a summer  evening and absorb the fragrance of flowers as you pass them. With a bit of planning, you can enjoy scent on every journey through your garden

Plant these 5 evening scented white flowers for fragrant summer nights in the garden

If you have a bit of your garden which faces west, it will make a great place to sit and watch the sun go down. If it's a patio then it will catch the late afternoon sun, and on a balmy summer night, the stones will absorb the summer heat and slowly release it after sunset, keeping you pleasantly warm late into the evening.

 



To enhance this evening atmosphere even further, you can fill a pot, bed or border with scented plants that release their fragrance  in the evening.

Improve your garden with 7 ideas inspired by Hillier Gardens

Not sure how to improve your garden? Whether you have a huge plot, a few pots, or something in between, here are 7 simple but effective ideas I found on a visit to Hillier Gardens in Hampshire.

Ideas for ordinary gardeners from a visit to an extraordinary garden - Stourhead

Can ordinary gardeners learn anything useful from visiting such an extraordinary garden as Stourhead?

 

Plan your garden and give yourself a view from your window

When you're planning your garden, it is worth thinking about what it will look like from the house. After all, you will probably look at it from that direction every day! Here are some tips on how to make the view of the garden from the house a good one.

Garden Design - Create your own classic formal garden - you only need two things!

If you enjoy the neatly clipped hedges and geometric shapes you see in the classic gardens and at many stately homes, then why not create a formal garden of your own at home? Whether it's your whole garden or a small part of it, it's really easy to do, and can be adapted to whatever size space you have. You only need 2 things.

Gardens to Visit - Abbotsbury - Five ways to make your garden look tropical

If you long to create a tropical paradise in your garden then Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens in Dorset has lots of examples of what to plant and how.

There are plenty of plants that look exotic but that are hardy enough to be grown in most places in the UK, so whether you're in urban Birmingham, suburban Surrey or rural North Yorkshire, read on to find out how you can turn your garden into a jungle - or a post-apocalyptic vision!

Garden Design - How to make your garden feel bigger



A view across Bodnant Garden to the mountains beyond

Here is a simple way to make your garden seem bigger than it really is. This is used in large scale landscape designs to create long vistas and integrate large estates to the surrounding countryside, but is equally useful in making a small garden seem not quite so small.

8 great ideas for your garden inspired by a visit to Compton Acres

Visiting gardens is a great way to get ideas and be inspired to get the best out of your own garden. Compton Acres, between Poole and Bournemouth in Dorset, is always a pleasure to explore, but there are plenty of ideas you can take home with you. So here are 8 ways of adding some magic to your garden.

A Garden Design Masterclass at Abbey House

Abbey House Gardens in Malmesbury in Wiltshire are a stunning display of a huge variety of plants. It's a fabulous place to spend an afternoon, and there are some fine examples of garden design that we can all use in our own gardens too.

Can a vegetable garden or allotment be beautiful?

For many years I've thought that growing your own fruit and veg was more or less incompatible with having a stylish and beautiful garden. Vegetables just aren't that pretty to look at. But after seeing vegetable gardens at Westbury Court Garden in Gloucestershire and at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show recently, I think I might be starting to change my mind.  

How to make a children's sandpit a garden feature

A children's sandpit can be an attractive garden feature as well as a play area.

5 Reasons to Grow Ornamental Grasses in Your Garden

Ever wondered how best to use grasses in your garden?  There are plenty of examples at Knoll Gardens, and I've been to take a look. 

If you thought ornamental grasses could only ever be a plain sidekick to more exciting specimen plants then think again. Here are five ways to make grasses the stars of your garden...

Gardens to visit - Hidcote Manor - Great English Garden

Hidcote is renowned as a great English garden, but provides fine examples of not only traditional cottage garden and formal styles, but also  woodland and Mediterranean gardens.

Design your garden step by step with set pieces



 

Stone bird bath surrounded by geraniums and roses

Designing your garden can seem daunting, but you don't have to do it all at once. You can use set pieces as a step by step garden design.

6 Clever Garden Design Tips from a Visit to Kingston Maurward

Have you ever visited a large garden and thought there was nothing there that you could copy in your garden? You were wrong! Here are 6 clever garden design tricks you can use in your garden. 

Six Inspiring Garden Ideas from Hidcote Manor

Hidcote is world famous as one of the finest examples of an "Arts and Crafts" garden. 

It's a quintessentially English garden, full of plants and full of inspiration for all gardeners. I've chosen six ideas from Hidcote that you can use to add a touch of class your garden.

Inspiring garden ideas from Snowshill Manor

I visited Snowshill Manor and came back with these simple but inspiring ideas for your garden. If you're looking for easy ways to use plants in a different way, to take your outdoor space to another level, read on...

Garden Design - Plant blocks of colour to give a small garden impact

You can pack a real punch even in a small garden by getting maximum impact from certain features. Pick one plant in your favourite colour and plant a block of it, closely packed, and you'll really grab people's attention.