{"id":11375,"date":"2022-05-25T13:04:24","date_gmt":"2022-05-25T11:04:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gardensillustrated.com\/?p=81948"},"modified":"2022-05-25T13:17:16","modified_gmt":"2022-05-25T11:17:16","slug":"evergreen-garden-how-to-create-an-evergreen-garden","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/rss_feed\/evergreen-garden-how-to-create-an-evergreen-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"Evergreen garden: How to create an evergreen garden"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Veronica Peerless\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 25 May 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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At this year\u2019s RHS Chelsea Flower Show<\/a>, Kate Gould won two gold medals for her \u2018Out of the Shadows\u2019 garden, winning both Best Garden and Best Construction in the Sanctuary Garden<\/a> category. This contemporary spa garden is home to a swim-spa, climbing bars, a meditation space, a fire pit<\/a> and seating \u2013 all set within hardy tropical and mostly evergreen planting to create a private, calm and relaxing space.<\/p>\n

We caught up with Kate to ask her advice on creating an evergreen garden.<\/p>\n

Why create an evergreen garden?<\/h3>\n
Kate says: \u201cCertainly in a front garden you want a lot of evergreens, as you go through it every day of the year. But also, people are increasingly putting huge bifold doors at the back of their houses and are now connected to their back garden every day of the year. We don\u2019t live in the tropics, so we have down seasons. Evergreens ensure your garden looks attractive all year. They are also a great foil for other plants, and of course, many flower too.\u201d<\/p>\n
How to create an evergreen garden<\/h2>\n
Make at least 40 per cent of plants evergreen<\/strong>\n\u201cAt least 40 per cent of plants in a garden should be evergreen \u2013 or they should offer interest over winter,\u201d says Kate. \u201cThey could flower from their stems in the winter, or have colourful winter stems<\/a> \u2013 a plant doesn\u2019t necessarily have to have leaves on it in winter to be interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Remember that not every evergreen is green<\/strong>\n\u201cEvergreens can be yellow, lime or even everpurple, such as the shrub Loropetalum chinense <\/em>(Chinese witch hazel) \u2013<\/em>\u00a0a great plant if you have a sheltered garden.\u201d<\/p>\n
Think again about variegated plants<\/strong>\n\u201cPeople are really iffy about variegated foliage, but actually, it can bring an evergreen planting scheme to life.\u201d<\/p>\n
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