How we choose our plants

Every plan is built from our own list of 177 garden plants that grow reliably in UK gardens. We wrote the list ourselves. For each plant we record:

Our list currently has 177 checked plants.

how much sun it needs and which soils it grows in
whether it copes with dry soil, normal soil or soil that stays wet in winter
how cold a winter it survives
its typical height and spread when fully grown, and how many to plant per square metre
when it flowers, its colours and what else it offers, like evergreen leaves, scent or winter stems
how useful it is to bees, butterflies, moths and birds
how much looking after it needs, and the jobs to do each month
whether it's known to be harmful if eaten, harmful to cats, can irritate skin or is thorny

Our rules

Your plan only ever uses plants from our list. Nothing is made up.
No plants that it's an offence to plant in the wild in England and Wales under Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Plants you can find at UK garden centres and online nurseries.
Plants are chosen and placed by our own rules, worked out in advance. AI only helps write the short descriptions.

We keep adding to the list and checking it. If you spot something you think is wrong, email us at help@myplantingplan.co.uk.