Orientation

There are many ways we can improve as gardeners, one of them is to understand how our plants are likely to behave in varying circumstances in our gardens.

Plants have a way of turning towards the sun. If you have a path that runs east-west with borders alongside it, the flowers on its north side will turn towards you because you are on the sunny side, but those on the south side will face away from you. Bad luck, but if you have the option to plant alongside one path edge the northern edge will give you more head on colour. Equally if you walk along a north-south orientated path bordered by beds everything will look towards you if you walk from south to north, but away from you if you return in the opposite direction. There are of course heliotropic plants to consider in your designs- plants whose flowers follow the sun such as sunflowers but the borders may not land up containing a very diverse range of plants.

If you are planning to plant box hedging along the edge of a patch its worth remembering that the southern vertical side will grow more densely than the northern side which will be most noticed on an east-west path. It’s worth therefore considering that if you are planning to plant a box, or indeed any evergreen hedge, that its northern side is given maximum space and light to ensure it is more densely furnished.

Planting symmetrically with feature plants, as on four corners or in an evenly spaced row, is always risky, because at least one of those plants is likely to let you down by behaving slightly differently from the rest. This is often because of differences in soil type, depth or drainage. If you can make your points with groups rather than individual accents, then differences in behaviour won’t matter, indeed they maybe an asset.

Sun versus shade for plants is a question that needs understanding. Many plants that are merely tolerant of shade are termed shade lovers, although many perform better in sun or at least in dappled shade. Such are perwinkles (Vinca) or the majority of spring flowering Anemones. Periwinkles will certainly cover the ground in deep shade, but they will be mighty dull cover. In sun, and especially mown to the ground every year or so their flowering will be abundant.

We are often told that certain wall shrubs are for certain aspects. It maybe good to make use of Morello cherries or Cotoneaster horizontalis or many Camellias against a north wall but they will do just as well on any aspect, or indeed out in the open. The self clinging climber Hydrangea petiolaris grows well on a north wall, but planted where it can catch the autumn sunlight it can give far more pleasure and excitement when its foliage changes to yellow before being shed.