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A colourful garden ecosystem

Giving your garden planning the care and attention it deserves is the best way to bring your garden to life. You want flowers to be blooming and the scent of fresh herbs in the air...

Tips on creating and maintaining green spaces

Giving your garden planning the care and attention it deserves is the best way to bring your garden to life. You want flowers to be blooming and the scent of fresh herbs in the air. There should always be something to admire – from whichever of the available spots you choose to sit in. Sometimes things can get a bit wild and that’s fine too. 

Clever planning will allow you to divide your garden up into different sections joined together by paths. If you want to support the natural water cycle, you should go for permeable options on the ground like gravel or paving slabs with gaps between to allow the rainwater to soak straight into the ground. Even if you’ve perfected the basic layout, your garden wouldn’t be complete without plants. Flowering shrubs, grasses and bushes add structure and charm. 

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Trees as C02 heroes

Trees especially have a positive impact on the environment. As much as 500 kg of carbon dioxide is stored in the biomass of a fully grown, medium-sized tree1. Robust trees like sweetgum, goldenrain and Persian ironwood are growing in popularity right now because they can withstand prolonged heat as well as wet conditions.

1 The RHS Sustainability Strategy Report, Royal Horticultural Society, 2021
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Plan your garden dream easily!

myGarden is a creative and easy-to-use online application that allows you to draw and plan your garden. myGarden inspires you to design your dream garden.

Try myGarden planner
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Smaller green spaces

Balconies and patios can be kept sustainable and natural too. Insect-friendly shrubs and little trees can be planted in pots of all shapes and sizes. You can set up a simple wire trellis for climbing plants to grow up the outside of your house. The leaves bind fine particles in the air and the water evaporation keeps the microclimate in balance. The same applies to green roofs planted with different types of sedum, carnations and thyme. They absorb up to 90% of rainwater and gradually release it into the atmosphere.

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ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL

Gardens acting as living bridges between people and nature are home to fruit trees growing next to mixed native hedges and flowers blooming in borders and wildflower meadows. Crocuses, winter aconites and grass keep the wildlife fed from as early as February. Later in the year, echinacea and sage are amongst the flowering shrubs perfect for pollinators. It’s really important that wild bees have access to plenty of vegetation acting as a source of nectar and pollen up until late autumn. Native species are the best of all.

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Did you know?

According to the European Commission, there are around 2000 species of wild bee living in Europe. 78% of wildflowers and 84% of crops rely on pollination by wild bees to produce seeds to at least some extent. It is estimated that 10% of bee and butterfly species in Europe are on the verge of extinction, partially because these species have specific requirements when it comes to their habitat.1

1 What’s behind the decline in bees and other pollinators? (infographic) | News |  European Parliament (europa.eu)
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Laziness = biodiversity?

There’s definitely something in that, as wild bees, hedgehogs, lizards and robins struggle to find food and shelter in gardens that are too neat and tidy. What can you do to help? Don’t clear plant beds until spring and leave the autumn leaves where they are or pile them up once you’ve cleared your lawns, pathways and sitting areas. Animals will soon set up camp in areas of your garden that have been left alone. Piles of branches and stones, dry stone walls and water holes are bound to attract wildlife too since they’re excellent spots for building nests, hiding from predators and quenching thirst on a hot day.