Great Dixter planting: how to get the look

How to plant like Great Dixter

1. Use as wide a plant palette as possible – this is fundamental to the Dixter aesthetic. Evergreen trees, deciduous trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials, annuals, bulbs – each type of plant brings a certain quality that contributes to the atmosphere in its own way.
2. Don’t be too bitty. When planting a new garden – especially when it’s a smaller space – the tendency is often to be too cautious or delicate, and you can end up with something that feels like an allotment or a stockbed. Fergus would always encourage us to be bold.
3. Be observant and discerning. If you decide you want Symphyotrichum ‘Little Carlow’, make sure that’s the one you buy and that you don’t just settle for whatever aster your local nursery happens to have in stock. Plants are not interchangeable.
4. Don’t be lazy. If you have an idea, see it through.

12 key flowers for a plantsman's garden inspired by Great Dixter

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© Claire Takacs

© Claire Takacs

© Claire Takacs

© Claire Takacs

© Claire Takacs

© Claire Takacs

© Claire Takacs

© Claire Takacs

© Claire Takacs

© Claire Takacs

© Claire Takacs

© Claire Takacs

Watch a tour around Great Dixter with Fergus Garrett offering tips and advice on borders

Read more about Andy Salter's plantsman's garden here.