Native Surrey Planting Ideas For Local Landscapes
Surrey is known for its rolling hills, ancient woodlands, and lush greenery. It is a county defined by its landscape, so it makes perfect sense that more homeowners are looking to bring a piece of that natural beauty into their own gardens.
Incorporating native plants isn’t just an aesthetic choice, but a smart one too. Native Surrey plants are already adapted to our specific weather patterns and soil conditions, making them far more resilient than exotic imports. They survive our wet winters and increasingly hot, dry summers with ease.
For busy homeowners, this means less garden maintenance and more time to enjoy their outdoor space. Whether you are looking to boost your property value or simply want a stunning view from your kitchen window, native planting is the answer.
At Taming Mother Nature, we specialise in creating thoughtful, climate-smart planting schemes that thrive in Surrey’s unique conditions. In this post, we are sharing some of the best native Surrey planting ideas to incorporate into your landscape.
Why Choose Native Plants for Your Surrey Garden?
The climate in Surrey is changing. As a local landscaping company, we are seeing hotter, drier summers and milder, wetter winters. To combat these changes and deal with the ongoing climate fluctuations, many homeowners are turning to native Surrey planting.
Native and drought-tolerant species are built for survival in these specific conditions. Once established, they require significantly less water than traditional bedding plants, making them easier to care for and more environmentally-friendly than many other solutions.
A garden filled with thirsty, delicate plants will require constant irrigation during a heatwave, which is both a time-consuming and expensive task. The resilience of native Surrey planting ensures your garden looks lush and vibrant even when hosepipe bans are in effect, allowing you to maintain a low-maintenance, eco-friendly landscape.
For more eco-friendly landscaping tips, see our post Sustainable Landscaping Surrey: Eco-Friendly Ideas For Your Outdoor Space.
As well as being a suitable solution for the local environment, native Surrey planting is also supportive of local wildlife. Native planting encourages local pollinators, birds, and beneficial insects to visit by providing a continuous food source through the year, with different plants blooming at various times to support wildlife.
For example, a hawthorn hedge provides berries and fruits for birds in winter, while native wildflowers offer nectar for bees and other pollinators. Dense plantings and ground cover can also offer shelter and nesting material for small mammals.
With native planting, you are creating supportive natural habitats for local wildlife and are contributing to the biodiversity of the entire region without additional effort.
For more wildlife and pollinator-friendly planting ideas, see our post Best Plants for Pollinators and Wildlife: A Seasonal Guide for UK Gardens.
Top Native Surrey Planting Ideas: Local & Drought-Tolerant Options For Your Garden
Incorporating native planting into your garden design allows you to experience the benefits of easy, beautiful gardening all year round. No matter your desired garden design or chosen landscape layout, there is certain to be native Surrey planting to consider, such as:
Native Trees & Shrubs
Trees and shrubs can be a great way to make your garden design uniform throughout the year. These can add height and structure to the garden, lasting longer than seasonal plants or annual flowers.
Large trees provide essential structure, shade, and habitat in Surrey gardens and landscapes. Consider these native options:
- English Oak: A majestic, large native tree with a strong architectural presence, the English Oak is a staple in traditional or classic garden designs. These native plants will provide shade in the summer and are a valuable habitat for wildlife, like local birds and insects. It will become a focal point within your garden design that lasts decades.
- Large Leaved Lime: These native Surrey plants are tall, deciduous trees that are suitable for chalky soils, making them perfect for landscapes across the region. Often used as a specimen tree, Large Leaved Lime trees are an incredible enhancement to any outdoor space, creating a main focal point in the garden.
- Silver Birch (Betula pendula): This is a native British tree with distinctive silver-white bark and delicate foliage. The silver-white bark provides year-round visual appeal in your garden, making it a valuable winter plant.
- Field Maple (Acer campestre): A medium-sized tree perfect for hedging, these native Surrey plants can provide year-round appeal and structure with their changing foliage. The leaves on these native trees turn a spectacular butter-yellow in autumn for ongoing aesthetic appeal.
Perennials for Structure & Colour
Perennials are great options for all kinds of garden designs, because these plants return year after year, providing reliable colour in your garden design. Available in a variety of forms, these native Surrey planting ideas contribute to garden structure and visual interest throughout the seasons:
- Geranium varieties: Hardy geraniums are tough, suppressing weeds and flowering for months. These ground covers are ideal for low-maintenance landscapes, as they form low, spreading mats that can cover large surface areas or fill in planting gaps. For more low-maintenance planting options, see our post Top Low-Maintenance Plants For Effortless Style.
- Achillea: With flat, plate-like flower heads, these native Surrey plants love the sun and resist drought, making them a suitable option for the hot summers in the region.
- Verbena bonariensis: Tall and airy, these native plants add height to the garden without blocking the view. The slender, upright stems are attractive, delicate, and complement diverse planting displays.
- Salvia: A magnet for bees, these native plants produce spikes of deep purple or blue to add a pop of colour to planting beds or borders in Surrey gardens.
Ornamental Grasses for Movement
Modern garden design in Surrey often uses grasses to add texture. Several native species thrive in the specific conditions of Surrey gardens and can provide year-round visual appeal to minimalist, simple gardens, such as:
- Stipa tenuissima: Soft and feathery, this ornamental grass provides a lot of movement in even the lightest breeze.
- Deschampsia: This is a robust grass that tolerates shadier spots, making it suitable for dark corners or overlooked gardens.
- Festuca: With its compact blue-green tufts, this ornamental grass looks great in gravel gardens.
Designing a Low-Maintenance Native Surrey Planting Scheme: Easy Gardening For Surrey Homeowners
One of the top benefits of native Surrey planting is the fact that these plants often require less maintenance than exotic species. As these plants are native to the region or the country, they do not need ongoing pruning, watering or feeding to grow well. This can free up a lot of your time without having to compromise the health and beauty of your garden.
To experience the low-maintenance benefits of native Surrey planting, consider the following:
Right Plant, Right Place
Placement is one of the golden rules of gardening, but it is often overlooked when attempting a DIY project. Where you place plants is just as important as the plants themselves. For example, a sun-loving lavender will never be happy in a damp, shady corner, no matter how much you care for it. This means that all of your efforts to keep your garden attractive and healthy will be fruitless.
By matching the plant’s needs to your specific light levels and soil type, you can ensure vigorous growth and minimal problems, even with limited maintenance. This is why working with professional landscape gardeners like Taming Mother Nature is so beneficial for planting.
We will recommend the best plants and optimal locations for your specific garden during our consultation phase. We also avoid overcrowding, giving each plant the space it needs to reach its full potential.
Improve Soil Structure Gradually
When aiming for low-maintenance native planting in Surrey, avoid the temptation to heavily dig or completely replace your existing soil.
While you may think that making changes to the soil will help your garden grow, many native plants are well-adapted to local clay or chalk conditions and will establish more successfully when the soil structure remains relatively undisturbed.
Instead of wasting your efforts fighting the local soil conditions, focus on gently improving soil health over time. This can be done by incorporating organic matter and allowing natural soil life to develop. This encourages stronger root systems, better drainage, and improved resilience during dry or wet periods, all of which reduce the need for ongoing intervention, feeding, or replanting.
Mulching and Water Retention
Mulch is a gardener’s best friend and can be used to keep native plants healthy while reducing the need for garden maintenance throughout the seasons.
Applying a thick layer of organic mulch, like compost or bark chips, over the soil surface of your planting beds locks in moisture and suppresses weeds. As these are organic materials, they will also break down over time, providing essential nutrients to the plant’s roots and improving the condition of heavy Surrey clay.
Conclusion
Embracing native and drought-tolerant planting is the secret to a stunning, low-maintenance garden in Surrey. It is about working with our unique landscape to create a space that is resilient, biodiverse, and beautiful all year round.
By incorporating native planting ideas such as trees and shrubs, perennials, and ornamental grasses, you can create a low-maintenance landscape that highlights the natural beauty of the region, rather than working against it.
You don’t have to be a horticultural expert to get this result. At Taming Mother Nature, we have the local knowledge and design skills to transform your outdoor space into a personal oasis. Let us handle the soil tests, the plant selection, and the hard work, so you can simply enjoy the view.
Contact Us Today
Ready to transform your outdoor space? Contact us today to book a consultation with a professional garden designer in Surrey.
FAQs
What are the best low-maintenance plants for Surrey gardens?
The best low-maintenance options are those that thrive in our specific conditions without constant babying. Drought-tolerant perennials like Verbena and Salvia are excellent, as are hardy native shrubs like Dogwood. Ornamental grasses are also fantastic for adding movement and texture with very little effort required.
How do I know if my Surrey garden has clay soil?
There are a few tell-tale signs. If your soil feels sticky and heavy when wet, and rolls into a ball easily without crumbling, it is likely clay. You might also notice water pooling on the surface after rain or the ground cracking into deep fissures during dry summer spells. We can perform a professional soil test to be sure.
Why should I hire a garden designer in Surrey for planting schemes?
Local knowledge is key, as a generic design won’t account for the heavy clay or specific microclimate of your property. A local expert understands exactly which plants thrive here. We provide tailored plans that ensure long-term sustainability, saving you money on replacing dead plants and adding significant value to your home with a professional finish.