The Hamlyn All-Colour Garden Book [antikvár]

IntroductionPlanting up a new garden or adding plants to an existing garden is the most rewarding of exercises, and one of which, I am glad to say, I have had plenty of experience. As a result of this there is one thing which I would stress more than any other and it is that you consider long and hard before giving space to trees, shrubs, conifers, herbaceous perennials and so on which are permanent, as opposed to transitory, plants.If your choices are wise then nothing is more certain than that they will give you pleasure for many years to come ; if unwise - either because they do not relate to their surroundings or are of poor stock which takes time to become fully evident - then you are the loser in two ways. First, your hopes are not going to be realised ; second, you are going to lose time-and, in gardening terms, a mistake which loses you even two or three years is not to be taken lightly.And there is something else. It is pointless buying the best plants available if, when you come to get them in theground, you do not pay full attention to adopting correct planting techniques and, as a natural link with that, find them homes where they will have the best possible chance to thrive. That means the right soil conditions within reasonably narrow Umits; the right aspect and degree of sunshine or light shade (if that is important), and, in many instances, protection of some kind from cutting winds. All this adds up to providing what we gardeners call the right microclimate. It's important.Vast numbers of garden plants are available for us to make use of, and those included here can only be considered a representative selection. They are all very well worth getting to know and my hope would be that trying your hand with some of them will encourage you to cast your net wider still. After a lifetime of gardening I'm as eager as ever to get my hands on new plants - or, if not new in the strict sense, new to me. After all, that is what gardening is all about.