Quality and value is your theme for 2010 (From Worcester News)

Quality and value is your theme for 2010

9:34am Monday 11th January 2010 in

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THIS year gardeners will be plumping for permanent plantings, taking more cuttings and continuing the trend for growing their own.

That’s the prediction of Andrew Duff, director of garden design at Inchbald School of Design, in London’s trendy Knightsbridge.

He said: “Quality and value for money is at the forefront of people’s minds.

“People may be going for permanent plantings rather than annuals. The Ikea generation is dying. People want to buy things which are longer-lasting.”

He predicts there will be a resurgence of structure to gardens during 2010.

He said: “We’ll see the return of evergreens more prominently, because they’re value for money, punctuated with masculine architectural foliage.

“The plants need to start working to justify their place in the garden, so you’ll have rich, moody evergreen backdrops, and plants such as cineraria and thistles. It will be much more dramatic and flamboyant, which is kind of what’s happening in fashion.

“We’ll see sweet shop colours like sherbet lemons, not bright colours, but a softer range with more white and primarily relying on foliage.

“You’ll see old-fashioned favourites coming back like alchemilla, acanthus and euphorbias, and safe varieties like euphorbia Wulfenii, because it’s likely to do well and you don’t have to keep replacing it.”

Gardeners will opt for permanent plants in pots, which have become increasingly popular in recent years. People will be after all-yearround plants, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to plant an evergreen.

Mr Duff said: “Cornus and salix are good in pots. Plant thyme underneath to hide the soil. Herbs like rosemary prefer to be in a pot, which is more free-draining.”

People will also be increasing their stock by propagation, taking cuttings rather than spending more money, which may lead to an increase in sales of greenhouses.

In line with the grow your own campaign, the must-have hanging baskets will contain a mass of vegetables, including salad leaves and trailing tomatoes. Dwarf runner beans, particularly the purple-leaf varieties, will provide both an edible and ornamental addition to any container.

Mr Duff said: “People may not like the thought of putting vegetables into their flower border but that’s an attitude that’s got to change.”

An allotment became the musthave for many gardeners a few years ago, but busy people often haven’t the time to tend it sufficiently, so are slowly making space for veg in their gardens.

Mr Duff said: “People love to live the dream about having an allotment, but in reality there’s a time issue. There will be lots of vegetables in the borders, but people need to learn how they can look good.

“Most veg are foliage based, and can add another dimension to a border if you think ahead. For instance, perpetual spinach is quite an attractive leaf. Let it grow to its full maturity, but you can still pick the leaves.

“Put it at the front of the border.

And plant fruit trees instead of purely ornamental ones.”

The purse strings may be tight during the coming year but we can still reap great rewards from the seeds we sow.