How to visualise plants in the garden?

Latimer

Hi all,

As a novice gardener stuck in lockdown, I was wondering if you could help me figure out the best way for me to visualise plants that I'm looking at for the garden?

I have spent quite a lot of time researching and I find plants that might work for certain areas but when you try to look them up online to get an idea of what you could end up with, you get a lot of "stock" photos, or close up of the leaves or flowers. I find it particularly hard to find images of those plants in use, planted up as part of a scheme. Most photos of a whole shrub, say, usually has the plant in isolation. 

Where are the best places to be able to get an idea of how plants might work with other plants or is that just something you learn with experience?

Thanks all.

Buttercupdays

It's probably better to look at gardens rather than plants. That way you get to see different ways of using them, combinations that work well and how to play with colour and form.

Plenty of gardens are available online. Some let you do full virtual tours, but most that are open to the public give a few pictures to get you interested. Some also list some of the plants used, but if you can't identify something you really like, you could always ask for help on  here.

Look up some gardens within reach of home, and see which ones are open this summer for socially distanced visiting.

Most National Trust gardens were open last year, but many others were too. The exceptions tend to be the smaller ones for reasons of space and you may have to book in advance.

Latimer

Thanks @Buttercupdays, I'll see if I can find any online gardens!