Gardening: Secrets of ageing instantly

Choose a shade sail and continue the colour theme into artworks, outdoor cushions, pots and other elements. Photo / Thinkstock

Clever planting and decorative touches hint at maturity, writes Carol Bucknell

Well established
Your new home is finished and the building contractors, their trucks and diggers, have left the site. Now it's time to start on the outside. Gardens do take time to grow but you can give them an established look without having to wait forever.

Buy big
Large grade (2-3m plus) plants are more costly than smaller sizes, but selecting just a few bigger plants for key areas close to the house will give the garden a mature look instantly. Trees create a sense of verticality to balance the height of the house so think about planting a large-grade specimen tree in the front of the house, another beside the front entrance and perhaps another tree in the back garden. Splash out on large shrubs and perennials around outdoor living areas, too.

Fill in the gaps
While your smaller plants grow, fill in the gaps with potted flowering annuals. These will need to be replaced every few months but in a year or so, provided the permanent plants are fast-growing, you've used good quality planting mix and kept them watered, they will have put on plenty of growth and there'll be fewer gaps to fill.

Well connected
Mulching with bark or shredded pine protects bare soil, keeping it warmer in winter and cooler in summer (thus ensuring better plant growth) and reduces weeds and reduces the raw look of a new site. Mulching will give the whole garden a sense of continuity and enhance the look of your new plants too. To strengthen the visual connections around the garden mulch the tops of potted plants also.

Pot luck
Soften the architecture of the house by bringing planting as close as possible to the building, surrounding decks, terraces, paths and entranceways with large pots. These can be planted with flowering annuals (don't skimp, use plenty in each pot), sculptural succulents and cycads (ideally large sizes), dwarf palms, clumping bamboo or clipped shrubs.

Instant hedging
New houses are often exposed, which is where instant hedges and screening comes in. A living green wall can provide privacy and will give your garden a more secluded and established look immediately. Several companies, such as Twining Valley Nurseries (tvn.co.nz) specialise in instant hedges in a variety of sizes. Trellis, bamboo or brush stick screens are another fast privacy option.

Ready steady
Nothing sets off a lovely new home better than a soft green lawn. Ready lawn is the go-to if you want quick results, but remember you'll have to do the same amount of prep as you would for sowing a lawn or planting plugs.

On the right path
Paths give gardens a sense of solidity and structure as well as making circulation through the property much easier. If your budget doesn't yet allow for concrete or other permanent paving materials, a simple and quick method of creating paths is to lay gravel or pebbles, inset with paving stones. You'll need to prepare a proper base layer and retain the edges with timber or one of the many DIY products on the market now.

Decorative devices
Adding decorative interest as well as green planting can quickly turn a bare garden area into a vibrant outdoor space. A colourful shade sail overhead will make decks and terraces feel more room-like and you can continue the colour theme into artworks, outdoor cushions, pots and other elements. Many water features and fountains come ready to install too.