The Middle-sized Garden is home to many outstanding gardening experts.

They are professionals in the gardening industry, so their tips and tricks are practical, realistic, and effective.

I decided to reflect on the past year and pick my top garden design tips for different situations.

How to group pots to create a border effect

Dan Cooper, the owner of the online store Dan Cooper Garden, has around 100 pots in an area measuring x by y. There are about 100 pots, but only 40 varieties of plants.

He recommends that you only plant one type of plant per pot. He also suggests that you don’t have to plant every variety of plant in every pot. “There are between two and four pots for each planting.”

For example, he may have four pots filled with Tulip Chansonette’. These are then repeated around the space at regular intervals. This repetition makes the display more cohesive and easier on the eyes.

Shaun Mooney is a garden designer. He also built a complete garden using pots from his rented house. Because he had no access to the earth, he ordered a manufacturer on eBay and had planting troughs built. These are taller than the pots directly in front and form a ‘back row.

You can then make the middle and front rows with pots. Shaun’s tip for saving money is to use mass-produced pots that aren’t visible. Then he collects some more expensive banks and places them where they can be seen.

Shaun recommends that you consult a garden designer if you need help creating your desired container garden. Although garden designers are often thought to be only available for large projects, you can still get the best advice and guidance for a few hours. They can also provide plant care advice if you request this.

Dan Cooper offers advice on container gardening here.

Here are Shaun Mooney’s tips for creating a garden using pots when renting.

Garden design tips that work are to limit the number of plants.

Michael McCoy is a well-known garden designer for his modern border plantings.

He suggests that you limit the variety of plants within a border. Shape and texture are more important than color.

You can combine three different types of plants. There are three types of plants: vertical, vase-shaped, horizontal, and rounded.

You don’t have to plant a lot of flowers on one border. Michael states that the border can only look great if three flowers are in bloom at once, as long as you have contrast and fullness in your planting. “In reality, only one flower can be in color at a time, but if the same flower is repeated around the border, it can make it seem like it’s dancing.

Even if it is small, make sure you have enough space to build a pond!

Most open space in cities and towns is controlled by home gardeners, which significantly impacts wildlife and biodiversity.

The Royal Horticultural Society and the Society of Garden Designers made 2022 a commitment to make gardens more sustainable, bio-diverse, and wildlife friendly.

The best gardening advice is to make space for a water feature. Water is vital for our survival. It’s also an essential part of ‘wildlife pathways.’ Wildlife cannot survive if it can’t forage, shelter from predators, and reproduce in large areas. It may be possible to have a park and a forest at one end of the town, but animals can’t move around if they find it difficult to reach the other. The gardens between the parks and the woods can be a boon for pollinators by having ponds and planters that are friendly to pollinators.

Every show garden on BBC Gardeners World Live featured a pond. Any container can be used as a mini-pond. However, small creatures must be able to safely get in and out of the container.

Also, children under three must be kept from entering the pond. They can drown in just a few inches. BBC Gardeners World Live featured several ponds with raised beds.

Frances Tophill also had a collection of old sinks in his Frances’ Garden. Although you could use any container, the advantage of grouping them is that they can be used for different pond plants. One container might be too shallow to support marginal plants, while another could be deeper.

Mini ponds can dry out quickly during drought, so it is essential to keep them filled.

Feel free to have a bigger pond in a more miniature garden.

Anne Vincent, a garden owner, rerouted her rainwater to make a large wildlife pond in her small town garden. The garden’s main feature is the pond, which takes up about one-third of the space.

It’s a beautiful garden. She has also reduced run-off from her gutters to town sewage systems by rerouting her guttering to it. View a small playground for wildlife in towns and cities.

Are rock gardens the solution to hot, dry summers

Although rock gardens were famous in the first half-century of the 20th Century, they have fallen out of favor. They are an excellent choice for plants that can withstand drought and are resilient.

We had a sweltering and dry summer like many others. Rock gardens like the one at Doddington Place Gardens, Kent, didn’t require watering and looked great even in extreme conditions.

Garden design is all about choosing the right plants for your climate. However, with so many variables, resilient plants are more critical than drought-tolerant plants. A rock garden is highly resilient.

Start with the rocks if you are thinking of a rock garden. Amicia Oldfield, Doddington Place Gardens, states that rock gardens look better when you use a local stone because it often echoes the architecture.