MOTORS

some fragrant planting. Pale, weathered brick pavers set against pale cream painted fencing have a natural, easy-on-the- eye look. Use a planting palette of whites to echo this with green and hints of pastels like lilacs and mauves.

Set out seating

Introduce seating areas along the path – a bench or maybe even a swing seat – where you can break the journey and appreciate your surroundings. The aim is to interact with the space, to concentrate on what’s in front of you as you walk or sit and let any thoughts of the world outside drift away. For taking in that view make sure the seating is comfortable enough for you to linger and has some gorgeous fragrant planting close by, inviting you to stay longer as you touch and smell it. Think also about seating that you can move around the garden, maybe to catch the last rays of sunshine at the end of the day.

Introduce water

The gentle sound of a bubbling water feature is soothing to listen to and watch as it catches the light. It will disguise outside noises like traffic and can add a new dimension by attracting wildlife, which is always interesting to watch.

Planting choice

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Munstead’) is fragrant and popular with pollinators. Also look to ornamental grasses like Briza maxima and panicum along with bamboos, which sound wonderful as they rustle in the breeze. Chamomile, amongst paving and around a seating area, is evergreen and gives off a heady fragrance when touched. Other sweet-smelling growers are jasmine, honeysuckle and roses.

Ammi majus, an annual, cow parsley lookalike and Verbena bonariensis, are both willowy and lovely border fillers. And to help block out sound go for the evergreen structure of white flowered shrub Fatsia japonica and laurel Prunus Laurocerasus ‘Genolia’. Others that will fit the bill include scabious, cosmos, michealmas daisy, lilac phlox and white guara.

Eco-friendly garden Re-purposing and recycled materials

Start with items around the house. For instance, an old washing-up bowl makes a great mini pond, or hunt down old zinc baths and Belfast sinks for planting up. You can also buy planters made of recycled materials like tyres and garden furniture from recycled plastic and hemp fibres; Pavers are now made from recycled materials that are permeable.

Reduce the carbon footprint of your buys

Buy items made from locally sourced materials wherever possible, searching out boot sales, junk shops and reclamation yards. Salvage yards are good places for paving or edging tiles. Reuse any concrete slabs, bricks etc. of your own or look up the nearest freecycle group (www. freecycle.org) where local people save items from landfill by giving and receiving them for free.

Grow native

Wildflowers native to where you live have adapted naturally so the soil already contains all the nutrients plants need. Most are drought resistant, so require less need for watering, and tend to be more resistant to pests than non-natives. Importantly they link the garden to its wildlife and the surrounding countryside so they support each other.

Plant to eat

Whether a native fruit tree, one raised bed or large veg patch, there’s nothing quite like the taste of home-grown food. It not only reduces environmental impact but also saves money too.

Provide for wildlife

Go for plants with single, open flowers, that will provide pollen and nectar for as long a season as possible. And investigate how to make homemade shelters and places to nest.

Waste not want not

Make the most of everything. This means using water butts to capture rainwater, creating a compost heap from items like lawn clippings, teabags and bits of corrugated cardboard. You can also make leaf mould to use as a soil conditioner.

Add water

Any size of water feature is going to be beneficial to wildlife. Ponds will provide a place to drink and bathe but if space is really limited then even making your own birdbath from a shallow, watertight bowl, will help.

Conserve water

Sprinklers and hose pipes can cause a lot of water to be wasted so focus attention on getting it straight to where it’s needed – the plant roots. An automated drip system can do this and can be attached to a water butt to help save even more water. If yours is a container garden then go for large recycled plastic pots as these will hold moisture for longer than terracotta. It’s also a good idea to add a mulch around plants in pots and borders. Organic mulches like wood chips, straw and your own grass clippings or dried shredded leaves.