7 clever ideas to steal from a small garden makeover by Charlie Albone

Table of Contents

it’s a visual showstopper!

And a winter light when its leaves fall. All it takes is a bit of lifting, digging and planting. Here are 7 ideas to nick from this effective little makeover.

1. Lift up old pavers

Take out the old pavers with a long-handled shovel or a fencing bar. Save any that are still in good nick to use as a base under planters in the garden. To get the soil ready for planting, dig it over to loosen it up, then give it a good dose of quality compost and rake it to level it out.

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2. Add depth with pots

A simple way to add depth to a small front yard is to nestle large pots and planters amongst the ground plants. One way to get the pot placement just right is to experiment with empty pots. Place them around the garden until they look balanced in the space and against the house. Then use chalk to mark their positions.

3. Make a solid foundation

It's crucial to give these pots a solid base, and those old pavers can be a great help with that. Make sure the soil is level in the marked spots before laying down the pavers for the urns to sit on. Before filling the urns with soil and your chosen plants, ensure they're level to prevent any issues.

Don’t forget!

4. Position plants

Once the potted plants are in place, it's time to tackle the surrounding garden beds. Place groundcover plants around urns, achieving a balance in height, width, texture, leaf colour, and flowering time. Dig holes, plant them, and firm the soil around the roots with the dug-up soil. Water them.

Good to know…

5. Make the most of contrasts

Out in the front yard, you can get creative with textures. In this garden, the rough, rocky surface of sturdy planters alongside the delicate softness of foxgloves about to bloom is really striking. The many different shades of green give it some depth, while catmint adds pretty splashes of purple.

6. Mulch

Mulch will shield your garden from weeds and stop moisture from escaping, but it will also give the finished result a tidy appearance. Sprinkle pebbles as mulch on top of potting mix in pots and planters. Scatter organic mulch like wood chip, pine bark or eucalyptus mulch on the soil between plants.

7. Don't forget the verandah

Now that the garden is looking top-notch, it's time to tie in the veranda. Here, a solitary pot with a potted tree frames the front door, while a trio of pots in varying heights creates a welcoming vignette.

Key plants

01

Silver bush

Convolvulus cneorum

This silver bush is a stylish, long-lasting ground cover. Its silvery-green leaves catch the sunlight, and white flowers bloom from summer right through to autumn.

02

Cut-leaf daisy

Brachyscome multifida

Cut-leaf daisies are a dense-growing ground-cover that's thriving in most parts of the country. Each plant can grow up to 30 centimetres high and up to a metre wide. They flower for most of the year and are ideal for growing in the garden, among rocks and in pots.

03

Ripple Jade

Crassula arborescens undulatifolia

If you're after low-maintenance statement pot plants, it's hard to go past a succulent. Ripple Jade's tightly growing, undulating leaves will add elegance to any garden. Succulents are best placed in bright, indirect sunlight.

04

Saucer magnolia

Magnolia soulangeana

This magnolia can reach up to eight metres in height, so to keep it under control, put it in a decent-sized pot! Saucer magnolias produce fantastic flowers with a strong lemon fragrance.

05

Mexican sage

Salvia leucantha

Salvias are an easy plant to grow, able to thrive in dry conditions, and produce flowers that have a soft, velvety texture in the autumn. It has long, thin leaves that look good against plants with big leaves.

06

Snowflake

Euphorbia leucocephala

The dainty white blooms of euphoria bring a softness to the garden. This evergreen shrub likes a warm climate and a spot that gets full sun.

07

Catmint

Nepeta cataria

such as bees, to the garden.

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