What to Plant in a New Build Garden

New build soil is challenging. It's often shallow, low in nutrients, compacted, and mixed with builder's rubble. But plenty of plants thrive in these conditions — you just need to know which ones. The key is to improve the soil in your planting borders (add compost and topsoil) and choose plants that are tough enough to cope while conditions improve over the first few years.

Ornamental grasses (Miscanthus, Stipa, Carex): The ultimate new build plant. They look modern, move in the breeze, need almost no maintenance, and thrive in poor soil. A row of Miscanthus along the back fence instantly transforms a bare boundary.

Lavender: Loves poor, dry soil — exactly what new builds offer. Plant it along a path or border edge for scent, colour, and pollinator appeal. Trim once after flowering and that's your entire maintenance schedule.

Hebes: Evergreen, compact, flower in summer, tolerate anything. The perfect filler plant for new build borders. Varieties range from 30cm domes to 1.5m bushes.

Photinia (Red Robin): Evergreen hedge plant with stunning red new growth in spring. Fast growing, dense, and forgiving of poor soil. Plant as a screen along boundary fences — it'll soften the standard panels within 2 years.

Hardy geraniums: Ground cover that spreads to fill gaps, flowers for months, and comes back reliably every year. Plant them at the front of borders and forget about them.

The trick to a garden that looks good 12 months a year is a balanced mix of:

• Evergreens (60%): The backbone. They provide structure and greenery all year. Box balls, Pittosporum, Euonymus, evergreen grasses.
• Spring bulbs: Daffodils, tulips, alliums planted in autumn for a burst of colour from March.
• Summer perennials (30%): The colour. Salvias, Echinacea, Rudbeckia, Verbena bonariensis for height.
• Autumn/winter interest (10%): Cornus (dogwood) for coloured stems, ornamental grasses turning golden, Cyclamen for ground-level colour.

In a typical new build garden, your planting borders are the strips along the fence line — usually 60cm to 1m deep. That's enough for a beautiful layered border:

• Back row (against fence): Tall plants — climbers on the fence, tall grasses, Photinia, or bamboo for screening. Height: 1.5m+.
• Middle row: Medium shrubs and perennials — Hebes, Hydrangeas, Salvias, Penstemon. Height: 60cm-1.2m.
• Front row: Low plants — Lavender, Hardy Geraniums, Heuchera, small grasses. Height: under 40cm.

This layered approach creates depth and interest even in a narrow border. Repeat the same plants in groups of 3-5 for a cohesive, designed look rather than a random collection.

Standard 1.8m close-board panel fencing is the universal new build boundary. It's functional but ugly. The fastest way to transform it:

• Star jasmine (Trachelospermum): Evergreen climber with fragrant white flowers. Attach a few horizontal wires and it'll cover the fence in 2-3 years.
• Clematis: Hundreds of varieties for every season. Plant clematis montana for vigorous coverage or clematis armandii for evergreen foliage.
• Tall ornamental grasses: Planted 30cm from the fence, they create a soft curtain of movement in front of the panels without climbing on them.
• Pleached trees: For a premium look, small pleached trees (hornbeam, lime) create a floating green screen above the fence line. Expensive but architectural.