The first step is work out what you really require from your garden and whether you need or want all the traditional garden components. You might not want a lawn at all, or you might choose to grow longer grass with wildflowers in it. You might choose not to have any flowers, just concentrating on foliage, or you could even choose not to have any plants at all (inconceivable as it may seem to plantaholics like myself!). You could decide to grow vegetables in your front garden, if it is sunnier and more fertile than at the back. I have even seen a garden decorated with hundreds of plastic dolls!
You can get many good ideas by scanning the pages of garden magazines and visiting garden shows like the Chelsea Flower Show. Many of the items exhibited there, however, will be very expensive - a life-size bronze sculpture or a mature tree fern may add an extra special touch to your garden, but how many of us can afford these? Yet down at the local garden centre the choice, because they have to cater for the middle-of-the-road market, you may be limited to a choice of very ordinary (yet undeniably useful) plants and concrete Venuses.
So is it a choice between affordability and individuality. Not necessarily so, but if you can't afford a lot of money to create your garden, you will need to invest some time instead.
Plants:
Growing from seed is a cheap way to propagate a wide range of plants - including some unusual ones. You can obtain seed from seed companies, such as DT Brown or Chiltern Seeds. (If you are a member of societies such as the Royal Horticultural Society or the Alpine Garden Society, you can participate in their seed distribution schemes.
Specialist nurseries will usually stock plants that you won't see in the garden centres. Many of these can be found in the Plantfinder guide. A lot of these nurseries offer mail order, if you can find nowhere locally. Also, keep an eye out on your travels for the handpainted signs indicating small nurseries run by enthusiastic amateurs - many treasures can be found in these places and at reasonable prices. You can also visit one of the many plant fairs which are organised around the country, where small nurseries sell their stock. And always be fulsome in your praise of any
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