Planting distance

TillyFliss

i am planting up a new boarder in  my garden and to avoid problems down the line I am spacing them  at the recomended planting distance  however wnen I watch Monty Don fill spaces in his established borders he does not seem to do that.

I saw this in last weeks episode when Monty planted  3 Helenium which i think each has 0.1 to 0.5 spread. I didnt think  the plants had this distance.

what do others do?

thedjjj

The idea with him doing that was to divide them during dormancy to get even more plants from them. He densely planted them now to maximise the impact for this season only, and delay the maintenance til off-season so next year display will be even better. 

It's more expensive to do that, as you buy bigger plants at the height of the season, but then buying smaller plants you have to be a bit more patient. Guess overall it depends if you can put the time in to dividing a few years down the line when it gets crowded or have the patience to let the gaps fil naturally.

One thing to consider with that is weed suppression. If the gaps are filled sooner there will be less of that faff to do.

Fairygirl

It depend what you're planting and what effect you want. If you plant shrubs too closely, they'll end up growing into one another, and then you have an issue because you'll either have to remove some, or be endlessly pruning them to fit a space.

Perennials can be planted closely to give instant impact, but they need dividing every few years to keep their vigour, so again, it depends how much time you have, and how easy it is to get into them to do it.

Close planting can also cause problems with pests and diseases as the airflow is affected. You can get more mildew or rotting depending on the conditions you have in your garden, and plants can therefore be weakened. A vicious circle,  as it then makes them more vulnerable to further attacks.

TillyFliss

Thank you all. You've given me something to think about