Unanticipated flora that gardening architects frequently integrate into their personal gardens - offering texture, allure, and coloration
Low-Maintenance, Budget-Friendly Plants Garden Designers Love
Seedball, a multiple-award-winning not-for-profit organization, is helping increase the abundance of British wildflowers and wildlife that depend on them. Here are some unexpected plants that garden designers love and recommend for low-maintenance, budget-friendly gardens.
Mahonia 'Soft Caress'
This plant, valued for its non-spiky leaves, is suitable alongside paths or doorways. It blooms when few other plants do, providing winter interest and pollen for pollinators. The soft-leaved variety 'Soft Caress' even won "Plant of the Year" at the 2013 RHS Chelsea Flower Show and is available for £49.99 for a 2-litre pot via Crocus.
Asters
Asters, especially varieties that flower late into the season, brighten borders and support local wildlife. They are robust and extend the flowering season into colder months. Aster is a plant loved by garden designers, and the New York aster, available for £9.99 for a 9cm pot at Crocus, is a particular favourite.
Waxleaf Ligustrum
An evergreen that grows quickly and forms a large screen, Waxleaf ligustrum is drought-tolerant once established, fragrant, and requires minimal pruning, making it great for low-maintenance hedges.
Sweet Gale
Ideal for wet or rain gardens where other shrubs struggle, Sweet gale has fragrant foliage, supports native pollinators, fixes nitrogen (improving soil fertility), and thrives in full sun without much pruning.
Astilbe
Astilbe thrives in partial to full shade with minimal care if the soil is kept moist. It provides showy flowers and lush foliage and only needs dividing every few years to maintain vigor. It suits shady, damp spots and adds perennial interest with colorful plumes in late spring and early summer.
Oregano
Oregano is one of the best plants for bees and is loved by garden designers, known for its low-maintenance, drought-tolerant qualities, and small, pinkish-purple blooms. Oregano Country Cream, a hardy, flowering edible plant, is available at John Cullen Gardens.
Betony
Betony is a charming wildflower native to the UK, putting on a cheerful display of deep pink-purple flower spikes from midsummer to autumn.
Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a favourite of garden designers for its ease of growth, pretty appearance, and versatility in ornamental borders. A variety like Rhubarb 'Timperley Early' can be ready as early as February.
Ornamental Grasses
Ornamental grasses are appreciated by garden designers for their ability to add texture and drama to any space. Crocus offers a variety of ornamental grasses suitable for both sun and shade, and some that work best in pots and containers.
Fennel
Fennel (Bronze Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare 'Purpureum') is a plant loved by garden designers, available for £7.99 for a 9cm pot at Crocus.
Sesleria nitida
Sesleria nitida is a versatile grass for dry areas with an outstanding architectural expression, loved by Swedish garden designer and author Annika Zetterman.
Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris)
This vibrant purple flower attracts bees and is great for pollinators, available for £6.99 for a 9cm pot at Crocus.
Zoe Claymore
Multi award-winning garden designer Zoe Claymore, based in London, is known for creating outdoor places with emotional connection and ecological integrity for her private and commercial clients.
Dr. Emily Attlee
Dr. Emily Attlee, a conservation scientist and co-founder of the seed ball company Seedball, is on a mission to help increase the abundance of British wildflowers and wildlife that depend upon them by encouraging people to maximize the outdoor space available to them and scatter seed balls of native flowers.
*The garden designers' preference for low-maintenance plants extends to Mahonia 'Soft Caress', a plant valued for its non-spiky leaves and winter interest.* Ornamental grasses, appreciated by garden designers for their ability to add texture and drama, are suitable for both sun and shade, as offered by Crocus.
