Local councillor Andrea Foster has been trying to get home owners to get involved in gardening and try and make their front garden more attractive for themselves and for the community.
I have been on a bit of a mission in Bristol.
It is all to do with front gardens – and how to make them a little more attractive.
Once upon a time and I guess in the days where there were no cars which needed a parking space, front gardens were things to be proud of- they may not have been very big but so many people produced mini gardens which were colourful and added to the look of the street and to their individual homes.
Then the car came along. People wanted to park on their own drive and what happened – the front garden was sacrificed. Along came paving. Out went plants and hedging.
Front gardens help turn our towns and cities into green and pleasant places to be. Yet many are being paved over to provide parking for the millions of cars we own. RHS research found that almost a quarter of the front gardens are now completely paved.
I’m a local councillor in the city and one of my wishes is that we get more residents interested in gardening and specifically interested in making the front of their house more attractive. We have been working for about a year on a careful and subtle approach to get the message over. We know people don’t have a lot of money but the big thing is to give them ideas and encouragement. I know many towns and cities have been trying to get this message over and it’s resulted in some collaboration between the council and homeowners.
If you need to park outside your house, the most logical solution is to pave over the garden. This is certainly a practical option, but with a bit of imagination you can combine paving with an attractive and welcoming garden. And by using materials that allow rainwater to penetrate the ground below, the hard surfaces you do install will shed less water that could otherwise contribute to flooding.
If the car is moved regularly, then there are plants you can grow that will tolerate being parked over. These need to be low-growing so the car does not brush them, and tough enough to withstand the occasional running over. One of our leaflets advises trying creeping jenny (Lysimachia nummularia), bugle (Ajuga reptans) and thymes such as Thymus serpyllum. Just leave planting pockets in the paving or gravel to ensure there is soil for them to grow in, rather than hardcore or a bed of concrete. This is what we have been advising and the message is starting to get through.
Tips for squeezing plants into the front garden
- Fill up the corners: you usually can’t park here so plant instead.
- Go up the wall: climbers and wall shrubs take up little space. And they don’t only look great, they’ll insulate your home too, saving on heating bills.
- Hedge your bets: rather than walls or fences, grow a hedge to filter out particulate (dust) pollution to help you breath more easily. It will provide a home for wildlife too.
- Growing up: with a slender trunk, a tree can take your greenery up and over the cars.
- No soil? Plant in containers: Even 100 per cent paved gardens can be made greener by using containers.
- Keep paving to a minimum.
- Remember it is possible to park and garden.
- Keep dust and pollution on the streets with a hedge.
