I am trying out my ‘garden symphony’ idea by making a grid like a musical score where it is possible to map the development of the garden. The background theme is provided by evergreens, like the underlying chords in a musical piece, with seasonal rhythms emerging from the shrubs and flowering perennials as they come into bloom. Structural plants and trees provide the highlights of the melody and annuals the sporadic bursts of colour. At a glance, it is possible to see how the different hues, flowering times and forms of each type of plant in a single bed combine in any one month. In this way it is possible to plan the garden and see what is required in a particular area to provide year round interest