"Right plant, right place" isn't a clich?

It is the only rule that consistently saves gardeners money over a decade. Here is why we say it every week.

If there is one piece of horticultural advice that sounds obvious but is routinely ignored, it is this: put the right plant in the right place. It sounds like something a garden centre would print on a tea towel. But in practice, it is the single most reliable predictor of whether a planting scheme will still look good in ten years.

What does it actually mean? Three things. First, match the plant to the soil. A lavender planted in heavy, wet clay will not thank you for it — no matter how much grit you add to the planting hole. Second, match the plant to the light. Hostas in full sun scorch. Sun roses in shade sulk. Third, match the plant to the available space. A Crambe cordifolia that looks charming in a 2-litre pot at the garden centre will be a 2-metre monster within three years.

We spend the first half of every new consultation visit just looking at the garden: where the sun falls, where the water collects, what the soil feels like in different corners. Only then do we start talking about plants. It is the least glamorous part of our job — and the most important.