Patio Makeover/ Part Two - the Planting
Once the hardscaping of our patio had been completed it was time to turn our attention to the fun parts! One of the most important aspects, of course the plants!
I had a very clear idea in my head of what I wanted. First of all it had to be easy to care for and low maintenance. My garden may look good but I am by no means a knowlegeable gardener! Secondly I wanted a lush tropical look to tie in with my theme. So heavy on the greenery and not really many flowers but definitley lots of texture and interesting plants.
I also wanted to keep the plant types limited. I think this is a more modern look in gardens these days. Keep your colour palette limited and also your plant choices, especially in a small space. We haven’t got a great deal of bed space so the plants we chose had to look good and work hard!
The only permanent bed we have on the patio area is the raised sleeper bed and the bed running down the side return. The rest of the planting would be in pots that we could move around. My modern black concrete effect planters are from here Get Potted.
The side return had already been planted in the years since I bought the house so were pretty established with ferns (like most side returns in period properties its a dark space with little sun so ferns are the perfect choice) and a couple of large laurel bushes. Fast growing and easy to care for plus they have lovely glossy leaves that give that tropical feel.
So for the rest of the patio I chose a lot of grasses to fill the raised bed. I planted these all along the bed and limited it to three varieties. I love how they are everygreen so even through the winter I can see lush greenery from the kitchen out in the garden. These were planted with some black bamboo in the corner. Bamboo can overrun your garden so be careful how you use it. We chose the black stemmed variety as it’s less invasive.
Other plants I chose were ferns, ideal for shady corners and one of my favourite plants, I find the leaf shapes and textures incredibly beautiful and they remind me of tropical places. We also planted 2 eucalyptus trees in large vintage style metal planters (perfect for cuttings) You can buy similar from here. Some miniature umbrella bamboos in another planter and lots of heucheras, I love these, they come in a variety of colours and have delicate flowers which add a subtle touch of colour.
I also planted euphorbias and sempervivum succulents in small pots which I’ve dotted around the seating area area and on side tables. They add a touch of colour and add another tropical touch to the garden. They also unlike cacti and indoor succulents will tolerate our wet british weather. They’ll die back in the winter but grow back up again in the spring.
Finally I wanted a showstopping centre piece plant and have always loved tree ferns. My husband used to live in New Zealand so he was really keen to have a native New Zealand plant in our garden. So we invested (because large ones aren’t cheap!) in an Dicksonia Antartica tree fern. Try looking for one from here. They grow pretty slowly (an inch a year) so it’s recommended you buy one for the size you want now rather than buying small and waiting decades for it to grow! They have a shallow root systen so are ideal for planting in pots. We have ours planted in a large 80cm square concrete effect pot which you can buy from here.
I have lots of questions about the tree fern and its surprisingly low maintenance, the main thing to consider is that it needs regular watering throughout the summer months (tree ferns like damp conditions) and will need protecting through the cold winter months. We wrap the trunk in garden fleece and stuff the crown with straw from November through till late March. The crown and the internal new shoots are the most sensitive to frosts so it’s essential you do this. I chop the old fronds off in spring to allow the new ones to come through.
So that’s all the planting we’ve done, nothing too complicated. Like I said I wanted it simple and low maintenance and even though we’ve only planted up this space two years ago it already looks lush and well established. It’s definitely worth investing (if funds allow) for some bigger plants such as our tree fern. We also bought quite large bamboo plants (5 ft) and two reasonably sized eucalyptus trees.
I definitely feel I achieved my plan with the planting, on a warm day out here it feels like you are in a liitle tropical sanctuary, my own bit of Bali in Birmingham!
If you have any questions please ask in the comments or just leave me a note to tell me what you think of the blog!
Theresa x