Great Gardens: “Anna Pavord” by Howard Sooley 

The first thing I would recommend to anyone is learn the potential pests in your area, research the plants that will cope with them, and then plan - plan well. People who run unprepared to a garden centre, credit card in hand, will fall in love with half a dozen of the bright, the bold, the impressive - and not realise they are making a whole host of terrible and very costly mistakes (because I think we can all agree that plants are not cheap these days). Even professional gardeners fall for the allure of the latest and most stunning hybrid, and often regret it afterwards because it is all glamour and no substance, or simply doesn't 'fit' anywhere. I've designed plenty of gardens in my time and when I visit a site for the first time, at least 95% will follow the same theme - a 'rim' of dead straight borders hugging the outside of a boring rectangular lawn, these borders mostly filled with plants that barely reach the knee. Quite often homeowners will say that they need the lawn to be that shape 'for the kids.' ...Well, why would kids want a rectangular lawn particularly? If their parents 'want' them to play football all the time, all well and good, they don't need me, they need a football coach and a lawnmower. But children, in my experience, love little hollows and banks, bridges, willow arches, dens, secret hideaways, tree-houses, wildlife 'homes,' and (according to age group of course) shallow ponds or boggy patches. Occasionally, I will walk into a garden and find that someone has diversified a very little and curved off the corners of the lawn (to make it easier to mow more than anything else), added an unpretentious 'wiggle' to those straight edges (but not enough to make a statement), or made an undersized round border in one corner of the lawn (and then filled it with a few of the most predictable and forgettable shrubs). The overwhelming fact about all such gardens is that their owners have been too scared to take the plunge and 'really design' in the same way they admire in someone else's garden. The truth of the matter is, it only takes a spade to make the difference. The best thing is to watch as many videos as it takes for you to build up a picture of what you want, note (better to draw) a few features you really like, accept that you might have to scale down a bit, and think how you might lead from one feature to another. Don't worry about the plants you see in any videos because they might not be right for your area anyhow. It's easy to think 'Ooh, look at that lovely Magnolia wilsonii' - but they're expensive, don't enjoy every soil type, and the season of interest is pretty short. It's simply no good hankering after anything that's going to be challenging for you to grow (I keep several plants that are 'tricky' and, believe me, I do get really tired of fussing over them from time to time. So, keep it straightforward). Create a garden on different levels, adding 'rooms' and vistas, hollows and terraces to create interest. Add architectural plants for shape of leaf, or turn the plants themselves into architecture (willows good for making tunnels, pergolas; or Lonicera nitida clipped into shapes). Think of how light falls across your garden and how you can make use of it. Make use of the different 'atmospheres' present in your garden - for instance, a corner backed by oppressively dark evergreens might be a great place to showcase a stand of pure white lilies as opposed to 'jollying things up' with a ton of violent pinks, oranges and reds. There's a shed-load of considering to do when it comes to planning for colour and seasonal interest - and all this before you even go near a garden centre.

Omg yes i was trying to think who she sounds like .💙