My son complains that I cram in too many plants into my garden. I guess he is right but I garden for plants not hard landscapes, not sculpture and certainly not for bare soil.

Problems of Too many Plants

• There is often no space for that great new plant but I cram it in anyway. I often put a plant in the only place available rather than the location that would best suit it. I regret it later because the colour schemes become totally random.
• Weaker plants can be smothered and killed by the thugs in the garden.
• Plants need space to reach their full potential and look their individual best.
• Plants that are too close together can attract mildew and other diseases.
• Water needs to get down to the roots and a canopy of leaves can create dry spots.

Garden Areas with Too Many Plants

• I have started collecting and growing Alpines because I can get a lot more plants in a small space. Even so I find it hard to create gaps when everything is in full flow.
• The border is intended to become ‘low maintenance’ to give me time to focus on other projects. For this area it is fine for the plants to be close together.
• Vegetable gardens need allotted space as you do want good crops.
• Natural gardens are fine with lots of wild flowers or local plants but too much grass can then smother smaller plants.

The Case for Too Many Plants

• Life is too short not to aim for abundance. I love the free seeds from RHS and AGS seed distributions. This provides me with lots of plants of varieties I have not already got.
• A riot of colour, shape and form can be therapeutic as can my informality.
• You generally have something available to give away.
• If you neglect a part of the garden for a while it can still seem naturalistic and in keeping with the rest of the garden.
• You do not need to worry about ground cover, real selected plants can do that job.

Intensive Gardens

• The term intensive gardening is usually reserved for a raised bed system. Deeper richer soil will support more and better plants or so the theory goes.
• Interplanting is second nature in a crammed garden, in fact I interplant the interplants.

 

INTENSIVE SPACING GUIDE

 

Sources

University of Arizona for the spacing guide