The one mistake to avoid with garden plants

What's the secret to a successful garden? Not going overboard with plants, says award-winning garden designer and landscaper, Mark Gregory.

'Where most people go wrong is they become plant-a-holics,' Mark tells House Beautiful UK. 'I go to people's gardens and it's like they've had a bring-a-plant-party and everyone has brought a plant and shoved it in. What you get is a diluted effect.'

Whether you have a sprawling garden or a tiny terrace, Mark's key is to mimic nature by repeat planting. It sounds simple enough, but applying this principle to your outdoor space will ensure it looks uncluttered and well-kept.

'What I would say is, pick a little bit and just repeat plant it. Don't be frightened,' explains Mark, who was recently awarded the coveted People's Choice Garden of the Decade award for his Chelsea Flower Show Welcome to Yorkshire Garden. 'I think the public are not confident so they'll only buy one plant, instead of buying three or five or seven. My advice is to plant more in bolder groups. Don't try to be too clever - but then equally don't be put off when things fail - because they do fail.'

Welcome to Yorkshire Garden, 2018

RACHEL WARNE

With 99 spectacular RHS Chelsea show gardens under his belt — and plans for garden 100 in the pipeline — Yorkshireman Mark is continually on the hunt for what's next in the ever-changing world of horticulture.

Mark Gregory's Welcome To Yorkshire Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show 2018

LANDFORM CONSULTANTS

Speaking about the gardening trends that are likely to set the tone for 2021, Mark explains: 'We've got so many environmental issues in this country and I really think that horticulture has a solution for most of them.

'My own county of Yorkshire has been really badly flooded and it's kind of been forgotten. You then begin to think about how you can mitigate against urbanisation. You could put green roofs on all of the Tesco stores or rain gardens instead of raised planters in the middle of the carpark.'

As well as sustainability, the garden designer expects Brits to dabble in a little preserving and pickling, regardless of their garden size. He adds: 'This whole discussion around grow-your-own planting isn't just a fad. People have been reenergised about growing their own produce.'

Source and Photo Courtesy of House Beautiful

Source: House Beautiful