GA RDEN S
CRE ATING A DRY GA RDEN THIS ON-TREND DESIGN APPROACH IS BOTH LOW-MAINTENANCE AND ECO-FRIENDLY. HERE, LEADING EXPERTS SHARE THEIR KNOW-HOW
and requires little maintenance. You’ll want to choose plants that occur naturally together in hot, dry regions, so that you can be confident they’ll look right in your garden. ‘Broadly speaking, they are the more short-lived species, so embrace this,’ says garden designer Jane Brockbank. ‘Have fun with annuals and self-seeders.’ As for the eco benefits, these include less watering, feeding, weeding and mowing. A dry garden also provides a long season of nectar-rich flowers, beneficial to a vast range of insects. ‘It creates an ecosystem that encourages biodiversity,’ says garden designer James Basson.
PLANNING YOUR PROJECT ‘Analyse
your plot,’ says garden designer Tom Hoblyn. ‘What’s the annual rainfall? What type of soil do you have? How much sun does it get? Try to work with what you’ve got rather than making drastic changes.’ Pick plants that are suited to your garden’s conditions. ‘Observe where the sunlight falls as it can help you decide where to place certain plants, such as grasses, which look fabulous backlit by the sun,’ adds designer Sue Townsend.
CHOOSING PLANTS Emphasis should be
on contrasting shapes and textures, rather than flower colour. Repetition of shape or form creates a rhythm and guides the eye through the garden. ‘Start with a backbone of shrubs for year-round structure and select trees that won’t cast dense shade,’ says Åsa Gregers-Warg, head gardener at Beth Chatto’s Plants & Gardens. For softness, plant ornamental grasses like Stipa gigantea and Stipa tenuissima and let ground-cover plants, such as thyme and Stachys byzantina, weave in between the taller plants. Aim for a mix of longer-lived species for structure and shorter-lived perennials and annuals. Grow them ‘lean’ without enriching the soil and water sparingly
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once plants are established. Then leave them to their own devices. ‘If you’re planting into deep gravel, make sure the roots get contact with the subsoil,’ says Tom Hoblyn. ‘Ideally plant in autumn or spring to allow plants to establish well,’ adds Sue Townsend.
WHAT ABOUT SITE SUITABILITY?
Sloping sites need to be terraced if you want to use gravel, and fairly open and sunny, although some shade can work well to expand the range of plants. ‘I
have successfully made gravel gardens in urban areas where there is the inevitable mixture of sun and shade,’ says Jane Brockbank. ‘You need a small amount of plants that can tolerate both aspects and repeat them to bring the scheme all together.’ Work with your site not against it. ‘The site must be free-draining, so avoid or improve areas where water naturally sits, in particular, clay soils,’ adds Tom Hoblyn.
AND LANDSCAPING MATERIALS?
‘First, a huge amount of material, such as gravel, sand, crushed hard core or concrete, worked into the ground to improve drainage,’ suggests James Basson. ‘Then a graded gravel mulch to prevent weeds.’ Pick a local loose stone or gravel for a mulch so it fits in with the local environment; it’s also good for reducing the carbon footprint of transport. ‘I would stick to natural durable materials – textured stone, rock, gravel and hardwoods,’ adds Jane Brockbank. →
“A DRY GARDEN IS A SPACE THAT BREATHES. IT IS ALL ABOUT DRAINAGE, GIVING PLANTS LITTLE OPPORTUNITY TO ABSORB WATER” JAMES BASSON, garden designer
FEATURE SARAH WILSON PHOTOGRAPHS OLIVIER FILIPPI, ÅSA GREGERS-WARG, JANE BROCKBANK, JAMES BASSON, TOM HOBLYN, SUE TOWNSEND
A dry garden is easy to construct, and it looks good
