Even at the height of summer, this low-maintenance plant rarely needs to be watered. And because there is a seemingly endless variety of sedum available, ranging from low-growing groundcovers to upright bloomers, the best plant to pair beside sedum is, well, more sedum. To take the guesswork out of planting small individual plants, Hancock recommends buying a sedum tile (a “living carpet” made of a patchwork of smaller plants), often found at garden centers. To settle a sedum tile into its new environment, simply drop it onto loose soil, water well to start, and watch it grow.
30 English Garden Design Ideas We Love
Debra LaGattuta is a Master Gardener with 30+ years of experience in perennial and flowering plants, container gardening, and raised bed vegetable gardening. She is a lead gardener in a Plant-A-Row, which is a program that offers thousands of pounds of organically-grown vegetables to local food banks. Debra is a member of The Spruce Garden Review Board.
With its temperate climate and verdant landscapes, the “green and pleasant land” of England has long been associated with beautiful gardens. From the formal gardens on the grounds of castles and grand estates, to the humble cottage gardens in villages, to the allotments popular in many urban areas, England is a nation of gardeners. Specific styles and methods of gardening are associated with England, including the widespread popularity of the herbaceous border, which is full of flowers through three seasons and usually has plenty of winter interest. It’s not hard to achieve the look of an English, though some knowledge of horticulture and design is helpful to help select plants suitable for your region and climate.
What defines the look of an English garden? A number of visual themes are seen again and again: large drifts of colorful perennials, color themes, and a fullness created by a wide variety of textures are all common sights. Authors such as William Robertson (The English Flower Garden) helped bring knowledge and techniques for creating herbaceous borders to the public in the 1800s, marking a modern trend away from the formal structure of classic European gardens. The legendary garden designer and author Gertrude Jekyll was celebrated for her bold approach to color, including single-color-themed gardens and the geometric diagonal shapes creating recognizable drifts of plants in borders.
Fortunately, with a bit of preparation and inspiration, the appeal of an English garden is not too difficult to achieve no matter where you live. Here are a variety of ideas here for you to create your own.
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Pro Pick: Ajuga
Best for: Shady Backyards
If your backyard doesn’t get much sun throughout the day, it can be tough to find attractive plants that will thrive in the shadows. To find the best shade-loving plants around, we asked Justin Hancock, a horticulturist at Costa Farms, for the company’s top picks. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Costa Farms supplies houseplants and garden plants to retailers and garden centers across the country, so the team is well-versed in selecting plants that will survive in real backyards.
The shade-surviving plant at the top of the list: ajuga. “This weed-smothering groundcover is a great pick if you’re looking to add color and decrease maintenance in shaded areas of your backyard. It offers adorable spikes of blue-purple flowers in spring, then a mat of dense foliage the rest of the gardening season,” Hancock says. To up the visual interest, look for variegated selections, such as “Burgundy Glow,” which has shades of pink and silver in its leaves. Plus, ajuga comes back every year, so you can plant it once and enjoy it for years to come.
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Pro Pick: Caladium
Best for: Shady Backyards
“Bring a touch of the tropics to your shaded backyard with the big, beautiful leaves of caladium,” Hancock recommends. This plant’s arrowhead-shaped leaves are readily found in shades of red, pink, and white, so you can coordinate this pick with the other plants in your garden. Costa Farm’s favorite hue? “The white varieties are particularly fun in shade because they seem to glow, especially at dusk,” Hancock says. You can treat caladium as an annual and leave it in the ground throughout the year, or you can dig it up and store it in a cool place for the winter.
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Pro Pick: Persian Shield
Best for: Shady Backyards
If you’re searching for a failproof plant that can thrive in the north or the south, in sun or in shade, in a garden bed or in a container garden, then the Persian shield is for you. This colorful, leafy plant is more than just durable, it’s also a true standout in the garden. “We adore this tropical plant’s metallic-purple foliage—it definitely makes a statement on its own or paired with other plants,” Hancock says. Treat this tropical plant as an annual, or if you’re adventurous, Hancock recommends bringing it indoors in the winter and keeping it in a bright spot.
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