Choose the Right Plants for Your Garden:
Five Key Factors to Consider
Beautiful gardens begin with plants that are happy where they are growing! Start by thinking about these five things.
Shade
Sun
If your area does not get much sun, choose shade loving plants such as Sarcococca, Brunnera or ferns.
In sunny spots, opt for plants that flourish in full sunlight, such as Lavender, Agapanthus, and Achillea.
Acidic
Alkaline
Acidic soils are mostly found in west, north, and upland mountainous regions of Ireland. In Dublin, parts of Howth head have acidic soil. Magnolia, Camellia and Rhodendrons all grow well in this soil.
The majority of Dublin, the east of Ireland and the Midlands has alkaline soil. Clematis, lavender and Helleborus thrive in alkaline soil.
Low maintenance
High maintenance
For low-maintenance gardening, choose plants that don’t require staking, pruning, frequent watering, or winter lifting, like Geranium 'Rozanne', Geum, or Pittosporum 'Tom Thumb'.
If you enjoy spending time gardening, you may choose plants that require regular pruning and feeding (like roses) or are tender and need winter storage indoors (such as Canna or Dahlia).
Small
Large
In compact spaces, select larger shrubs or small trees as your focal plants, like Amelanchier lamarckii, Daphne, or Acer palmatum.
In bigger spaces, you have more flexibility to select plants that grow taller and broader, like Laburnum and Liquidambar orientalis.
All year interest
Peaks in one season
You can enjoy year-round interest by choosing a range of plants that have interest in different season, like Camellia for spring, Perovskia for summer, Rudbeckia for autumn, and Helleborus for winter. Or an evergreen plant such as Viburnum tinus.
If you prefer your garden to look spectacular for just one season, like summer, fill your flowerbeds with summer flowering plants such as Aruncus, Salvia, and Kniphofia.
Not sure which plants are right for your garden? I design planting schemes tailored to your garden's light, soil, style and the amount of time you want to spend gardening.