When planning your garden, gardening experts, websites and magazines suggest conventional guidelines like say, for instance, choosing colours that complement one another. The problem with rules is that they stifle your creativity. Sometimes it can be fun to tear them up and try something new for some unexpected and exciting results. Here are some common garden rules that are worth breaking:
Weeds are not always the enemy. If you helped in the garden as a child, one of your first jobs was probably digging up weeds. But some weeds are quite beautiful. If you have a particular weed in your garden that you find attractive, don’t feel you have to get rid of it.
Choose clashing colours. Some gardeners like to plan their garden colour scheme with military precision but it can
be more fun to experiment with several different colours. Buy a packet of mixed wildflowers where you can never be sure exactly what you’ll get.
Mix flowers with vegetables. By including a mixture of flowers, vegetables and herbs in your garden, you can create a really diverse environment with plants to delight all the senses – from beautiful flowers to sweet smelling herbs and tasty veggies. Some vegetables are just as pretty as flowers and can enhance the appearance of your garden. Combining flowers and vegetables can also ward off certain garden pests.
Use funky containers. Why not be creative and ditch your usual pots? Old jam jars or metal watering cans are ideal homes for plants. Things like an old-fashioned wooden step ladder are perfect for displaying plants at different heights.
Go exotic! While native plants will give you reliable results, why not try growing something new? It might not work out first time but you’ll have fun working out how they might survive.