Apparently Everyone Wants a Messy Garden
Or at least that's what they think...
Apparently, messy gardens are popular. Having a moment or becoming a trend, who knows? I’ve had it on good authority that it’s one of the most asked for descriptions in garden landscaping at the moment. I can literally feel you all putting off the weeding again for another weekend as I write. I shall definitely be keeping it to myself at this end otherwise the Other Half will have the house on the market pronto. I think our garden comfortably sits within the definition, but then does it? What does a desirable messy garden actually look like?
If I mention at this point that low-maintenance is also often brought up in the same sentence, does that bring any light to our messy garden definition? I’m not sure it does. I suspect that if asked in more detail a messy garden would simply be one that tries to embrace nature, one that lacks too much formality and feels relaxing. Although a relaxing garden is a minefield in itself. I’m well aware that one person’s relaxing is another person’s stress - can you allow plants to self seed in a gravel path for example or is this too annoying for you? I find I can but only those I welcome into the garden such as Nigella or Briza - forget-me -nots have to go.
Maybe a messy garden means a wild flower garden or meadow perhaps? Again, one person’s beauty, another person’s weed. I posted about Linaria Purpurea (commonly know as Purple Toadflax) on my Instagram this week, it was generally well received, yet I remember vividly a pointed remark from a garden visitor (from when I opened the garden under the Yellow Book Scheme a few years ago) ‘I see you embrace weeds in your garden’ as she stalked off muttering, rude things to her husband. I mention the Linaria as it is arguably one of the more gentle wild flowers and can easily be grown and controlled in a garden setting. It’s actually very little effort overall - a pleasant, beneficial weed if you like. But so many wild flowers are not gentle. They are thugs in a garden setting. They crowd out, self-seed uncontrollably, spread through runners or just like wildfire often resulting in a one species domination situation.
Take a wild flower meadow - this is the desire of many and could be what people are thinking of when they describe a desire for a messy garden. These are no quick job to create. They often take several years to look consistently good and by that I mean years of constant attention. Grass is one of the main issues and has to be controlled perhaps using yellow rattle - that’ll need seeding and probably several times over. Undesirable weeds such as nettles, brambles, docks and thistles will need to be removed regularly as they appear - this is no small job. My garden backs on to open fields that are helpfully grazed by sheep for much of the year. This helps keep the weeds down but doesn’t stop them building up at the field edges and sneaking into the garden. There is always something new on the perennial weed front sneaking in. Maybe in a messy garden they should be left - maybe, but a garden with unmanaged nettles and brambles is not a garden for long. At least, not one I will be venturing out into in my sandals and shorts. A patch of nettles perhaps, for the caterpillars and butterflies, or to make the nettle tea or soup or whatever it is that is good for us, perhaps even a bramble at the edge of the garden to get first dibs on the blackberries but all over - that’s not garden. So, low maintenance a meadow is not.
I would argue that no garden based on wild flowers or ‘native’ flowers (the inverted commas are because actually how many are actually native? A native plant has to have been growing in the UK before the last Ice Age (approximately 10,000 years ago) and naturally established there without human intervention) are actually low maintenance. I have two arguments for this. One, the native plant or wild flower is a rampant self seeder and needs management or two the native plant is a delicate soul and is perhaps not easily suited to our new changeable climate - extreme wet or periods of drought. It’s not an easy feat to find the right balance then of wild flowers or native flowers for a messy garden.
Yet, despite this, I am claiming to have achieved a messy garden. Is this pure arrogance on my part? Well, I’ve not restricted myself to natives or wild flowers for one. And it is in fact a garden full of structure. Probably something that the desire for a messy garden might pass by at least initially. Structure is absolutely the key to a successful messy garden in my view, overlooked at your peril. I’m a big structure fan. Hard landscaping laid out to suit how you are going to use the garden and to suit the space and then plant structure too. By this I mean trees, shrubs large plants - rhythmic repeat planting, topiary or large pots. These are essentials and they build the layers in a garden that shows off messy or lose planting to its very best. Then add in the native plants or the wild flower meadow after that but not before and don’t expect any messy garden to be low maintenance. Any garden full of plants requires maintenance and a messy garden is subtly managed, carefully conducted behind the scenes.
My list of native flowers I do happily grow:
Primrose (Primula Vulgaris) the beautiful pale yellow flowers are always welcome in early spring
wood anemone - this doesn’t really like my garden, I think the shade is possibly too dry for it but I’ll keep trying to get it established because it’s another Spring beauty and it grows very well in our local church yard
Dog Rose - I haven’t planted these but they do grow in my garden. I often miss them at the back of the borders and they grow up there. Every now and again I try to prune them out because they are vicious and very vigorous but i think I’ll always have them
Bluebell - heavily under threat in our garden from the Spanish bluebell but I have been able to establish a few under the huge lime trees we have. Another Spring favourite.
Viola Riviniana - this self seeds everywhere and grows like a weed. It’s beautiful for a very short period of time. We’ll always have it as it’s tricky to weed out but it needs keeping on top of because it will literally take over here.
Foxgloves - always welcome in native and other forms but here they are hit and miss. I leave them to self seed but they rarely do here and I have to replant from plug plants.
Snake’s Head Fritillary - not a plant I thought was native but glad it’s on the list. I’ve trying to establish a small cluster of this in the shady raised bed, so far so good, they’ve been back for two successive years. They’re not yet at the spreading stage though.
Cornflowers - a fleeting visitor here. I think it might grow with the Nigella but doesn’t like to compete. I have to resow if I want it to stick around here.
Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) - I had this for a couple of years but then it died and didn’t return. It likes damp conditions and i think we are too dry overall despite the clay soil.
Campanula Glomerata - there are so many Campanula available now it’s hard to know if I’ve grown the native but I think we have it and it’s a bit of a thug enjoying itself with self seeding. It is easily pulled out though to control although I suspect I’ll never be without it now. I think I might try different Campanula if I were starting from scratch.
Bugle (Ajuga Reptans) this is currently making its way through the entire front border. I’m not sure it will get away with that for too much longer but I’m leaving it for now. It likes it but I’m personally not sure the flowers are significant enough to choose this variety again. Others are available with more significant flowers.
Honeysuckle - These have taken to arrive randomly in my garden now. A present form the birds no doubt. Most I leave because they are easily controlled plants and they just scramble through bushes. I’m a fan of this one I think.
Forget-me-not (Mysotis sylvatica) - I have a love hate relationship. I do love the blue haze the flowers bring to the borders but honestly I absolutely hate the sticky seeds. I try to ignore them but they look awful once they go brown so it has to be tackled and because of that I often pull them up before they flower. I’ll certainly never be without them here because they like flowering in all the hard to reach spots as well as the main borders.
Lily of the Valley - Mum’s favourite but Dad was forever pulling it up. I think it might be a bit of a thug but I’ve not managed to establish it here and so can’t directly comment. It likes shade and is very highly scented so has it’s benefits.
Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla Vulgaris) - I love these and had a mini obsession a few years ago. I’m surprised to find them on the native list perhaps but then they are heavily linked to Easter hence the name. They’re lovely plants, especially after the flowers go over and the seed heads form, that said they don’t last well here. I shall keep trying different spots for them though.
I hope you enjoyed my quick romp through the messy garden which kind of morphed into my experience of native flowers. I’m sure there is much more to explore on this topic at some point in the future.
Love
Claire x