Unlock a Beautiful and Productive Garden with This One Hot Tip

Is it a cut flower garden or a home garden? The question I have been wrestling with for a while seems a bit circular sometimes. Can I make my space productive enough for me to pursue my absolute love of providing flower design within my Whanganui community, while the trained garden designer in me calls for a handsome and useable family space that works for everyone.

The tension of being a both a garden designer and floral ‘creative’ is actually something I really enjoy balancing! We live on a ‘bog standard’ sized urban block and the ‘cut flower garden’ is in actuality our entire home garden. We have space for playing and company and lying under a tree and I’m able to do the work I love.

So there are lots of formal principles involved in this balance, including layout, ratio of perennials and shrubs to seasonal flowers, rhythmn, repetition etc, etc. But honestly, the one thing I heartily recommend you to consider just to give yourself a little head start by playing with a set colour palette. then you can build your shapes and textures a little more easily, instead of getting overwhelmed in the possibilities.

It’s endlessly difficult for me as a creative brain type, to discipline myself to plan for an edited palette in advance, but the planning produces the gold. It’s easy to get ‘shiny object syndrome’ when heading to a garden centre or looking on social media at the latest release of flowers and varieties. But honestly, take a minute, think about what you aim to produce and go from there. Here’s a little example of how simple this could be:

My cut flower garden visual plan by colour palette.

You might notice how I not only have thought of shape and form, but I have also thought about an overall palette that blends in nicely together. The poppies have a range of colours which then tie together the roses with a single colour. Now, this is not my full garden plan obviously, but it is “one space” and “one colourway” for my floral design work plan.

Play around, get some snaps of the flowers you like and see if you can arrange them in a way that gives you what you need for your work, and its also much more likely to be lovely to live with too.

Need Expert Help with Your Garden Design?

Transforming your garden into your dream space can be a rewarding project, but it’s always helpful to have professional guidance. If you’re looking for personalised advice and expert assistance with your planting design in Whanganui, our Garden Design service is here to help. We offer a range of design services to meet your unique needs, ensuring your garden not only thrives in your site conditions but also reflects your garden style and productivity preferences. Contact us today to schedule your consultation and get a helping hand creating the garden of your dreams!