The basis of any well-planned wardrobe is in the style and colour and how it reflects the event you might be attending, and ultimately your personality.
The same applies to planning your garden. Decide what look you want to create, what suits your home and the climate of where you live, and match it to your personality and how you use your outdoor space.
Mimi Rupp, a popular Port Elizabeth garden consultant has some advice:
• Have a strong neutral foundation to begin with and accessorize with colour and detail. Just like your basics should be good quality and be timeless, so should be the foundation of your garden. Invest in quality products, and don’t take shortcuts.
• Spend time and energy on your design. Do your research (gotta love Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration) and make informed decisions. If you find it hard to visualise how your garden might look, create a mood board and play around with your design.
• We’re in a self-help era, and everyone seems to have advice to share or experience to learn from. Listen and take what you can from people, and apply what works for you.
• Just as an outfit consists of layers, so does your garden. Sart with design and layout (including areas for different uses), structural work (walls, screens, paving and other hard-landscaping), beds, soil preparation and planting. These are your essentials.
• The finishing touches is the fun part! Your garden accessories. So, look at any furniture you might need, pots, garden art. These pieces should be able to be moved depending on the season, or for a change of mood.
The biggest advantage of doing your homework and preparation well is that you will never get bored of your garden, and any changes will be relatively inexpensive.
Words: Supplied
