BBC Home


23 November 2009
Accessibility help
Text only

how to be a gardener - The complete online guide

BBC Homepage
Lifestyle
Gardening
Part One
Part Two


Are you signed in?
Go here for more information

Planting schemes and themes

Planting styles

Combining plants

Do your research

How to draw plans

Test your knowledge

Go further

Plant lists

Interactives

Glossary

Credits

Programme information

Help with plugins

Gardening newsletter

Site map

home

Module 1

Module 2

Module 3

Module 4

Module 5

Module 6

Module 7

Module 8

3 - Do your research

Print page

Planting plans
How to draw plans
Now comes the really creative bit - making the planting plan .

• To make life easy, cut out different sized paper triangles and sketch different plant shapes on them: upright, spiky, domed, frothy, and so on
  
• Start to arrange them on a plan of the border
  
• You’ll begin to see which shapes work well next to one another
  
• Do the bed bit by bit
  
• Triangles and pyramids work best for me
  
• Make different sized triangles: large ones for upright tree shapes, bushy shrubs and spreading perennials; smaller ones for perennials, bulbs and bedding
  
• Then it’s a matter of putting the triangles together until the whole border is filled in

Interactive
Find out more about planting plans with our special feature.

Watch clip
Watch the programme clips: Part 1 and Part 2 .

Quiz
Test your gardening knowledge to earn a certificate endorsed by the RHS/BBC.

Requires Realplayer
In the next module I'll tell you how to make your soil more plant friendly, so you're ready to go out and buy those plants - but how do you tell the good from the bad?

Previous

3. Planting schemes and themes

Introduction
Planting styles
Combining plants
Do your research
  How to draw plans
Test your knowledge
Go further

Highlights

Plant lists

Plant lists

View plant lists on:

• Tall and upright plants
• Red plants

Video

Video

Watch the clips to find out more about planting plans.

• Planting plan part 1
• Planting plan part 2

Interactive

Interactive
Test your gardening knowledge to earn a certificate endorsed by the RHS/BBC.

Useful links

• Create a virtual garden
• Techniques in the garden
• Plant profiles
• Design projects
• Plant database