Blooming bedfellows

There are many sorts of relationships within a garden, not least that between the garden and the gardener. Everyone feels differently about theirs – we all have our own priorities and, if you’re anything like me, those priorities are constantly changing. Gardening is such a highly creative process, especially at the ornamental level, when you’re mixing together perennials, grasses and bulbs, perhaps with shrubs and trees too.

“First learn which plants thrive where, then start putting them together”

Unlike painting a picture though, which in most cases doesn’t change once the artist puts down their brushes, the pictures we create with our plants are in a constant state of flux. Leaves grow bigger, change form or texture. Flower buds appear, blooms open, then they fade and set seed. This is surely the most joyous aspect of gardening, much of it planned but always subject to an element of unpredictability.

Initially, we plan what we plant, although some of us plan more than others! For some it’s