30 Ideas for my Dream Garden

My dream garden, my 30th birthday garden, my first ‘proper’ garden after only gardening on a balcony. These were suggestions to spark thoughts for my daughter reaching her 30th birthday in 2021 so that I could write this blog.

Why?

Because previous blogs inspired by special birthdays and celebrations have turned up some really useful planting lists and garden ideas. Feedback has suggested that for many gardeners and those new-to-gardening, the personal element has helped them to feel brave enough to say ”I would like” rather than just be told what they should have.

You can find links to those blogs at the end. For now, lets get a feel for this millennial’s dreams for her first garden.

Oh and do remember she’s grown up with a horticulturist mother, and a gardener aunt and grandfather. Playing on the allotment after school was as frequent as helping herself to mangetout growing against the path to the front gate on the way to school. Picking flowers from the garden and climbing into the tree house with sneakily harvested strawberries was also a common occurrence!

30 Ideas for my Dream Garden – Ornamental Plants

Spring flowering bulbs –

“I’d love a spring garden filled with happy colours!”
Although blooming would start in late winter with snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis. Then there would be yellow daffodils to flower in time for Saint David’s Day on March 1st (the native daffodil, Narcissus pseudonarcissus) But also some of the scented varieties such as Narcissus ‘silver chimes’ and others in pots by the front door. Brightly coloured tulips will follow on, dark purple and orange, and parrot types.

Daisy-style plants –

“These have always been my favourite kind of flower, they’re just so bright and happy- I even called my moped Daisy!”
Brightly coloured Gerberas, Asters, German chamomile, Osteospernum and perennial sunflowers to give flowers for a long season. As simple flower shapes they’re a good food source for pollinating insects.

Red hot poker plant, Kniphofia, is a show stopper when in bloom. There are smaller varieties available for those with less space or to grow in pots. “I think they look really cool”

Ornamental grasses, for the extra sensory layer they provide; the sound of them blowing in the wind.

Ferns and tree ferns –

for the wetter, darker corners. “They remind me of the Friends’ Garden in Williamson Park.”
Williamson Park in Lancaster was a regular walk when visiting my sister, who was one of the volunteer gardeners for many years. If you’re in the area, do visit the Friends Garden and indeed see all the delights the park offers with play area, gardens, lake (ducklings!) a small zoo, butterfly house and Ashton Memorial

Acer – the only ornamental tree on Hari’s list, but she has loved these for years.

Wildflower meadow –

“to encourage all the bees! Try as I have, I think I’ve only seen 2 bees on my balcony in 5 years, so I want to encourage more. They are the future”
In smaller gardens a pseudo wildflower meadow will generally be more pleasing to the eye and practical. Briefly this might be growing wildflowers under trees, or growing a mix of annual wildflowers and longer flowering perennials in a border or to replace part of a lawn.
(There will be a blog on this topic soon)

30 Ideas for my Dream Garden – Features

Boundaries and walkways, secluded places for quiet reflection; multi tasking areas. For much of this section, I’ve used Hari’s own words, not least as it shows how wide ranging and individual are the demands we make of our garden spaces.

Black or dark coloured painted fences – such an excellent contrast, making the plants in front stand out.

Brick paths –

“I love the look of these and it reminds me of trips to the Red House”
The Red House is an Arts & Crafts National Trust property designed by Philip Webb for William Morris in what was then leafy Bexley village. Choosing the right bricks for a garden path or patio is crucial. The larger the area to be covered, the more important that they are the right type for the job and look good.

A water feature or small sunken pond – the sound of running water is relaxing. NB if you’re having running water, check you can vary the rate of flow.

“A space for my macramé swing seat – I bought this years ago at Chelsea flower show and would love a space to hang this to sit back and read a book in.”

Timber railway sleeper raised beds for edible plants: a kitchen garden.

Green house –

“after a lockdown spent with windowsills covered in seedlings, I’d love my own space to better propagate plants and grow my lemon tree!”
No prizes for guessing the house (garden?) warming present her mother will be giving her…

Sociable stuff

Fire pit – “one of my favourite things about camping is sitting around a fire being mesmerised by it” (and toasting marshmallows of course!)
And for really doing the cooking on – a BBQ. Living in a flat, the aromas wafting up from BBQs in neighbouring gardens all summer long is torture!

Seating area –
This will probably be decking rather than patio, ideally a hardwood such as oak, which will weather well and look attractive for years. .It needs to be in a sunny spot, with room for a large table to eat with friends and family, comfortable seating around the fire pit, and also space to sunbathe.

And now for something completely different…

“My dream garden has to have a pergola with light bulbs/black wire lights on and with monkey bars in between using scaffolding. We hope to have a garage where we can put our climbing wall that we built during lockdown #1, but would also like an area in the garden to practice monkey bars, pulls ups etc!”

30 Ideas for my Dream Garden – Edible Plants

All my offspring enjoy fruit and vegetables, and have their favourites.

Fruit

Apple tree(s) –

“for a single purpose… to make endless apple crumbles”. Cultivars would have to include Bramley seedling, for which suitable pollinators would be, for example, Braeburn, Golden Delicious, Greensleeves, Howgate Wonder, James Grieve, Lord Derby, Peasgood’s Nonsuch.

Raspberries – both summer and autumn fruiting types
Rhubarb – see crumble comment!
Strawberries – early, mid, late season and perpetual. These latter have to be ‘Mara des Bois’, which combines the aromatic flavour of the wild alpine strawberry with a larger fruit size and yield.

Vegetables and salads

Tomatoes – both greenhouse and outdoor types, with some heritage varieties too.
Sweet peppers
Potatoes – depending how much space is available will decide what Hari grows, but definitely early and salad potatoes, as she loves them slightly crushed and roasted with rosemary.
Carrots – “I am a carrot fiend, and will munch on them raw everyday!”
Courgettes
Cucumbers – the baby types as these are just right for packed lunches and picnics.
Leafy salads – lettuce, spinach, lambs lettuce / corn salad, rocket. To be mainly grown as baby leaves, or cut and come again. Corn salad and beetroot (another Hari fave) together make a tasty salad

Herbs

A Thyme lawn to lie on and sunbathe or just to walk across.
Thymus serpyllum, creeping thyme, Breckland thyme was a favourite herb lawn in Edwardian gardens. However for lying on, Hari would be better with woolly thyme, Thymus pseudolanguinosus, which has fewer flowers – and, as the name suggests is a delight to walk on in bare feet!

Lavender – for the bees
Rosemary
Mint – for teas… and cocktails

and finally …

There are more birthday, anniversary and wedding inspired ideas in the links below, as well as blogs on some of the plants and features.

Of course, “my dream garden” will reflect how individual our needs and dreams are. Reminding us of pleasant places and people; meeting our requirements as we mature and our needs, and possibly dreams, change.

And if you need some help designing a flower border or a whole new garden, do please get in touch.

Or perhaps you would like help with learning more about your garden and gardening? Why not ask about our bespoke Gardening Lessons, where your classroom is actually your own garden. We can help you learn gardening basics, carry out worm and other experiments and also show you how to plan an ornamental border or kitchen garden. They make a good birthday present!

For further gardening advice and inspiration, check out our monthly Tipsheet – You could come and find us on Instagram Pinterest and Facebook too.