Down to Earth: Swap unrealistic resolutions for positive thinking – and use the garden as your muse

“Owning a garden allows you to put the past behind you and, instead of creating resolutions, to put your energies into what can be achieved in the coming year.” Even in the dead of winter, gardens encourage us to look on the bright side, says Robert Barker

Starting a new year off with a handful of resolutions seems an odd tradition to me. Almost as soon as the blue fiery glow has evaporated from the Christmas pudding, many of us are greeted with the question “What are your New Years resolutions?”

I suppose the reason I am so cynical about resolutions is that they are born from guilt and tend to be a list of things you ought to have done the previous year instead of a list of things that you really want to do with the coming 12 months.

The beauty of owning a garden is that it allows you to put the past behind you and, instead of creating resolutions, you can put your energies into thoughts and actions of what can be achieved now and within the coming year.

If you are looking out of your window into a bleak garden, then set aside some time and plan for the phases your garden is going to experience. The art of a well-designed garden is within the timing of successional planting; as something fades, something else comes into its own.

A lot of people use bulbs and corms to add extra interest in the garden, which is a great idea and is something we carry out for our clients all the time - but a lot more can be done.

Each season has star plants and if you can include a few of these while making your planting scheme work together as a whole, then your garden will drastically be transformed from a one-trick pony to an all-star thoroughbred.

A key element to my designs is to make sure that there is all year-round interest. This can be achieved by having a backbone to the garden of structural planting (this acts as a backdrop, provides wonderful interest and has a beauty of its own) and then making sure that within each season you have a few key plants that draw the eye in.

There are so many plants to list but here are a few ideas to help you live on the bright side in 2025:

Winter: Snowdrops, Hellebores (pictured), Sarcococcas, Viburnum ‘Eve Price’

Spring: Aquilegia ‘Black Barlow’, Epimediums, Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’, Iris (my favourite)

Summer: Lavender, Agapanthus, Salvia, Geraniums, Erigeron

Autumn: Anemone ‘Hororine Jobert’, Rudbeckia, Asters, Liriope, Abelias

So, together in our gardens, let’s look forward. A mixture of a few seasonal star plants, evergreen structure and patience and this time next year your garden will be lifting your spirits and ensuring you start the year on the front foot.

See robertbarkerdesign.com for more.