Step 3 – Creating the Perfect Planting Palette for Your Garden

Plants are more than decoration – they’re the soul of your garden. Let’s shape the mood, structure, and rhythm with thoughtful planting.

Now that you have a plan and a sense of style, it’s time to bring your garden to life. The planting palette gives your garden character – setting the tone, creating mood, and anchoring the space through form, colour, and seasonality.

Whether you’re a plant lover or totally green (pun intended), this part is both inspiring and foundational.

Step 1: Think About Structure

All great planting starts with good bones. Structure gives your garden rhythm and shape across the year – especially in winter, when flowers are sparse.

Start by identifying where you’ll want permanent anchors like:

• Trees (for scale, shade, or focal points)
• Structural shrubs and evergreens
• Clipped shapes or topiary (see also Topiary and Clipped Shapes In Garden Design)
• Feature specimens (multi-stemmed trees, statement grasses)

These will define key sight-lines and help visually ‘hold’ the space together.

Step 2: Choose a Planting Style

There are infinite variations, but here are a few common themes:

• Soft and romantic – billowing grasses, roses, nepeta, and airy textures
• Bold and architectural – yuccas, phormium, box balls, strong foliage contrasts
• Naturalistic/wildlife friendly – loose, meadowy planting with pollinator appeal
• Mediterranean – drought-tolerant herbs, olives, agapanthus, gravel
• Contemporary – restricted palette, sculptural planting, clean lines

Choose a style (or combination) that complements your design language. It’s OK to mix influences – the trick is in how you balance them.

Step 3: Plan for Seasons

Think beyond the summer ‘wow’. A great planting scheme offers something year-round: spring bulbs, summer colour, autumn foliage, winter silhouettes. Autumn is a particular joy and often neglected so perhaps put a bit more effort into this!

You don’t need to pack it all in – just aim for a few standout moments across the year. Evergreen structure helps, but so does knowing what to expect in each season.

Step 4: Consider Colour and Texture

Your palette doesn’t have to be rigid, but it helps to have a loose theme. Are you drawn to:

• Cool tones (blues, purples, silvers)?

• Warm, vibrant colours (oranges, reds, yellows)?

• Soft pastels?

• Textural foliage contrasts?

Think of colour in ‘blocks’ rather than sprinkling everywhere. Stronger combinations tend to come from repetition and contrast, not a riot of everything.

Step 5: Be Honest About Maintenance

Plants are living things – they grow, they change, and they need care. But the right planting can make this easy.

If you don’t want to spend hours gardening, avoid high-maintenance borders. Opt for resilient perennials, ground covers, and slow-growers. Drifts of the same plant are easier to manage than one of everything. And invest in decent mulch – it’s your secret weapon against weeds.

With a clear planting direction, your garden begins to take on its unique identity. The next step? Layering in the hard landscaping and special touches that elevate it from good to unforgettable.

Coming next: Blog 4: Materials, Features and Magic – where we explore the tactile, visual, and magical elements that give your garden its character and charm.