A guest post by Soto Gardens
The gardens that stay with you, the ones that feel calm, cohesive, and somehow effortless, are rarely the result of luck. They're the result of a handful of good decisions, made in the right order. Here's where to start.
1. Get the structure right first
Think of structure as the architecture of your garden. Fencing, screening, pathways, levels. These decisions define the shape and character of a space before a single plant goes in the ground. Get them right and everything that follows has a framework to work within. Rush them and no amount of planting will compensate.
2. Keep the palette simple
The instinct is always to add more: more colour, more variety, more interest. But the gardens that feel most considered are usually the ones that show the most restraint. A tighter palette, fewer species repeated with confidence, and space for the planting to breathe. Allow the garden to complement its surroundings rather than compete with them.
3. Add the sound of water
Moving water changes the atmosphere of a garden completely. It softens noise, slows everything down, and turns an outdoor space into somewhere you genuinely want to spend time. A water feature doesn't need to be large to be impactful, it just needs to be there. Once you've experienced a garden with the sound of water, it's hard to imagine one without it.
4. Design your planting, don't just shop for it
Most borders are assembled rather than designed. A plant here, a shrub there, whatever caught your eye in spring. The result tends to look exactly like that. Great planting starts with a clear brief: aspect, scale, colour, and the seasons you most want the garden to perform in. At Soto, every border is created by an award-winning garden designer, so each plant earns its place, and the whole scheme works together from day one.
5. Think in seasons, not snapshots
A garden can look spectacular in June and completely flat by October. The most considered spaces are designed to perform across the year, structure that holds in winter, early interest in spring, foliage that carries the border when flowers fade. When you're choosing plants, ask what they're doing in November, not just July.
National Gardening Week Giveaway
To celebrate National Gardening Week, Charles & Ivy have partnered with Soto Gardens on a giveaway, where one lucky winner can win the perfect garden focal point, featuring a border from Soto Gardens and a Corten Steel Water Feature from Charles & Ivy. To enter head to the official Charles & Ivy Instagram.
Giveaway Terms & Conditions
Promoter
This giveaway is jointly organised by Charles & Ivy and Soto Gardens (the “Promoters”).
Eligibility
This competition is open to residents of the United Kingdom aged 18 years or over at the time of entry.
Employees of Charles & Ivy, Soto Gardens, their agents or anyone professionally associated with the giveaway are not eligible to enter.
Competition Period
Entries must be submitted within the timeframe specified on the official giveaway post on the Promoters’ social media channels. Entries must be submitted after the closing date will not be valid.
How to Enter
To enter, participants must follow the instructions outlined on the official giveaway post on the Promoters’ official social media channels.
No purchase is necessary to enter the competition.
Prize
One winner will receive the following items:
From Charles & Ivy:
Belmont Corten Steel Water Feature - Small
From Soto Gardens
£200 voucher
The prize is non-transferable, non-exchangeable and no cash alternative will be offered. The promoters reserve the right to substitue the prize with an item ov equal or greater value if necessary.
Winner Selection
One winner will be selected at random from all valid entries after the competition closes.
The winner will be contacted via direct message form the official Charles & Ivy social media account.
If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, the Promoters reserve the right to select an alternative winner
Delivery
The prize will be delivered to a mainland UK address provided by the winner. Delivery arrangements will be confirmed after the winner has accepted the prize.
Social Media Disclaimer
This promotion is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with any social media platform used to promote the giveaway.
By entering, participants confirm that they release the relevant platform from any responsibility related to the competition.
Publicity
By entering the competition, the winner agrees that their name and/or social media handle may be used by the Promoters for promotional purposes related to the giveaway.
General
The Promoters reserve the right to cancel, amend or suspend the competition if necessary, due to circumstances beyond their control.
By entering this giveaway, participants are deemed to have accepted and agreed to be bound by these Terms & Conditions.
