Designing a second home garden

Ask yourself the right questions

The holiday home often means installation work, which leaves little time to dedicate to the garden in the first few years. However, even more than elsewhere, the garden will be a true outdoor room in a typically pleasant setting, and it will encourage you to make the most of it, especially if you visit mainly during the warmer months.

If you have just bought or inherited a house where you plan to visit regularly, it is important to ask yourself a few questions that will define your level of commitment:

• Do you wish to spend a lot of time in the garden and relax there often, or is this house more of an opportunity for visits to the area or time dedicated to sports activities?
• Does a garden hold significant importance for you? Depending on your lifestyle or the frequency of your stays, assess the time you can dedicate to it.
• Do you live in a city apartment, are you a novice, and will this be your first garden? Is this second home an opportunity for you to engage in gardening, or conversely, do you not want to add the burden of a second garden?
• When do you come?: This may seem obvious, but it is crucial to install plants that will bloom or be at their peak during your visits.
• What budget can you allocate to the garden? An important question if it is a large garden.

Do you want to lounge in the garden… or something else?

Plan your layout wisely according to the size of your garden

In the first instance, planning the layout of a holiday garden is, of course, approached differently depending on whether you have a large space in the countryside or a pocket garden, as is sometimes the case with seaside villas or fishermen’s houses.

While a small outdoor space can be quickly enhanced and maintained, a large garden must be designed according to your priorities, always focusing on the areas closest to the house: the zones you visit most often (terrace, dining area, and relaxation corner).

In any case, you should avoid potted plants, which require regular watering, something that is impossible in a second home… unless you have a mini garden on a slab, as is sometimes the case on the coast: in this case, “camel” plants or succulents can be placed there (see below).

For a large garden, the management of mowing will obviously also need to be considered. We will revisit this in more detail in this article.

Depending on the size of your holiday garden, maintenance will obviously be adapted

Opt for plants that require little or no pruning

The secondary residence with a garden is a breath of fresh air, far from daily life, and should remain a time spent together with family or friends, while avoiding the chores of pruning as much as possible…

When it comes to bushes, it is therefore essential to plant as many plants that thrive without pruning as possible: they generally have a flexible habit, rounded or spreading, or a naturally compact habit in a ball shape or a free silhouette for establishing informal hedges, as well as dwarf shrubs. They come in both evergreen and deciduous foliage.

> Our selection of beautiful shrubs that require no pruning: all viburnums, Abelia, Weigela, Pittosporum tobira ‘Nana’, Philadelphus (Mock Orange), oleander, rosemary, the arched habit shrubs such as spiraeas and Exochorda, shrubs with a ball or cushion habit (Hebe or shrubby veronica, Pittosporum tobira, Mexican Orange Blossom, Cistus), Mahonia confusa and eurybracteata…

All these shrubs will not suffer from a missed pruning that would compromise flowering.

Choisya ternata, Viburnum plicatum, Cistus, Weigelia and Hebe ‘Autumn Glory’

Slow-growing shrubs will of course also be preferred (often evergreen): most heather soil shrubs such as Skimmias, rhododendrons, and Kalmias, Pittosporums, strawberry tree, Berberis, Nandina domestica, creeping Ceanothus, rosemary…

And of course,all exotic-type plants such as Phormiums, Agaves, Yuccas, Cordylines, etc.

Rhododendron, Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’, Arbutus unedo, Kalmia latifolia ‘Minuet’, Berberis thunderbolt, Nandina domestica ‘Gulfstream’ and Ceanothus

→ Also see our tips on low-maintenance gardening, plants and tips.

Manage watering

Without water… no growth! Unless you create a dry garden or a scree garden and establish an arid decor (which can be a lovely option south of the Loire), the main concern with holiday home gardens is watering, as you simply aren’t there to activate it.

Since installing an automatic irrigation system, which usually requires an electrical supply that is typically turned off when you leave, is costly, you need to bypass the watering issue with a selection of drought-resistant plants (drought-resistant shrubs, drought-resistant perennials). These are increasingly discussed as the plants of tomorrow, maintaining a decent appearance all summer, with or without you.

The region where your second home is located is important in choosing plants: it is more reasonable to consider planting slightly more water-demanding bushes in Brittany, the Ardennes, or the Basque Country than elsewhere. Well-watered during the first two years, the bushes will thrive thereafter due to ambient humidity and seasonal rainfall. However, this does not account for the recurring heatwaves each year.

Here is a selection of plants that do well without regular watering (also see our list of easy-care plants): Buddleia, Lagerstroemia, Ceanothus, Grevillea, Mahonia, Caryopteris, and among the perennials, many grey-foliaged plants such as Echinops ritro, Helichrysum italicum, Perovskia, centaurea, Gaura, daylilies (once established), euphorbias, lychnis, and salvias, for example. Succulent plants like cacti are also ideal in sufficiently mild climates with not too much winter rainfall.

→ Also check our articles on gardens without watering: designing a garden with minimal watering (or almost none), the grille garden, a garden without watering, and 10 drought-resistant perennial plants for a garden without watering.

Azure ball, crape myrtle, Helichrysum italicum, Gaura, Grevillea, Agave americana, Caryopteris, and daylilies

Choose easy-care plants

Nothing beats arriving at your holiday home and discovering a garden devoid of colour, lacking seasonal blooms. It is essential to plant as many self-sufficient plants as possible, requiring little to no maintenance: perennial plants, bulbous plants, and certain undershrubs and shrubs.

Of course, you will choose the plants according to your region’s climate, your soil, and the exposure, to avoid having to mulch the most tender plants for winter. When it comes to roses, in a small garden, you might consider planting repeat-flowering roses that require regular pruning, but this would not be advisable in a large garden due to the constant work they demand.

• Groundcover plants: they are essential for reducing the chore of weeding, spreading, creeping, cushion-like, in shade or sun, there is always something to dress and highlight the taller plants in the beds.
• Spring bulbs or summer or autumn bulbs: with them, there is no risk of extra work, they return every year, more numerous and lush, especially the botanical species that naturalise over time. Tulips, daffodils, squills, and alliums lead the way for a colourful spectacle in the garden in spring. Be mindful of the hardiness of summer bulbs; some may not be suitable, but you can always rely on the hardiest summer bulbs like Lilies, Liatris, and Crocosmia.
• Self-seeding perennials: Linaria, Verbascum, California poppy, wallflowers, Mirabilis, Impatiens glandulifera, etc.
• “Camel” plants: led by bushy sages, Perovskia, Buenos Aires verbena, and Gaura for their long flowering, as well as grasses like Stipa and Fescue…
• Conifers, trees, and shrubs suited to drought: strawberry tree, Cercis, oleander, pines, and cypresses, etc.

→ also see our tips on maintenance-free groundcover plants, and how to choose perennial plants?

Alchemilla mollis, Crocosmia, Liatris spicata, Salvia macrophylla ‘Royal Bumble’, Linaria purpurea, Perovskia, Stipa tenuissima, and Pinus nigra ‘Pierrick Brégeon’

Lawn, yes... but how to manage it?

Ah… The herb once again far too tall when you open the gate to your holiday home! A nightmare for some who dread having to mow the lawn when the garden is large or steep, as is often the case in the countryside or mountains.

When it comes to a stretch of lawn, there are a few considerations to keep in mind for your holiday garden:

• If you need to create your lawn, select grass mixtures that offer good drought resistance, and slow growth to reduce mowing frequency (primarily based on tall fescue or sheep fescue and Cynodon dactylon, Koeleria macrantha, or meadow foxtail, often associated with ryegrass in smaller proportions (5 to 10%).
• If the lawn is already there, either accept that it will need to be mowed regularly to maintain it properly, which is feasible in small to medium-sized gardens (see above for your level of commitment to the garden), or significantly reduce its area by creating opulent flower beds of the mixed-border type or shrub beds, or by enlarging paved areas, and/or creating more pathways. You can replace part of the lawn to reduce the time spent on maintenance, but this is not always possible depending on the layout and style of the garden. Learn more in our advice sheet Replacing a lawn, ideas and solutions.
• You can also change your mowing practices and consider differentiated mowing, leaving some areas of the garden more natural (large patches treated as wild meadows or defining spaces by creating mowing pathways in a large garden). Flower meadows, trendy for a few years now, are also an effective solution to reduce work, once the ground is well-prepared (a false sowing must be carried out beforehand).
• In a holiday home, you will have to give up on English lawn, and accept to see more weeds growing than elsewhere on the green carpet.
• Finally, in cases of very large areas that are too heavy to manage, it is reasonable to seek help on-site by engaging a gardener or landscaper for maintenance two or three times a year, ideally before your long stays.

→ Also see our tips on Which lawn to choose?, Having a beautiful lawn in 10 questions and answers, the layout of a large garden, and the layout of a flat garden.

Mowing remains one of the most recurring tasks in the garden during the beautiful days… when one visits their holiday home more often

A second home with a swimming pool

If your secondary residence garden already has a pool, you will likely want to highlight it, anchoring it in a lush, exotic, or Mediterranean setting for summer accents.

The key around the pool is to choose three types of plants:

• evergreen trees or bushes to prevent leaves from falling into the water and to avoid extra cleaning chores
• non-staining plants to keep the surface (paving, decking, natural or composite stone…) intact
• thornless plants or those with sharp leaves that could cause injury when passing around the coping (Phormium and Dasylirion, stunning in this context, should only be planted at a sufficient distance due to their size at maturity).

Current plant trends favour a clever mix of silky and golden grasses (Stipas, Chinese fountain grass, and Miscanthus) alongside ornamental plants with strong character, not necessarily flowering, for a subtle elegance: dwarf palms, lavenders, Italian cypress, rosemary, agapanthus, banana plants in an exotic atmosphere, etc.

→ Also see our article: Designing poolside areas in 5 styles.

Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’, Grevillea, Stipa pennata, Sabal minor, and rosemary

The case of a seaside holiday home

The sandy soils of seaside gardens and the sea spray require us to adapt the plant palette. However, these gardens along the Atlantic fringe or the Mediterranean coast benefit from a microclimate or mild winter temperatures, allowing for the inclusion of beautiful exotic plants, sometimes from the antipodes.

Once again, we will avoid shrubs that require pruning, opting for a limited number of plants, easy-to-maintain bulbs once planted, and a maximum of vibrant subjects in summer: for example, a Kagayame mulberry, Tamarisk, or Albizia as shade trees, and among shrubs, Cytisus, Lavateras, Abelia, Vitex Agnus castus… Among the perennials: hollyhocks and Alcalthaea, Agapanthus, Alstroemerias and Lilies, Valerian, Erigeron karvinskianus, Convolvulus cneorum, Santolina, Fennel, among others… and in the evergreens, Phormium, Cotoneaster, Eleagnus, Griselinia, Yucca, dwarf conifers, and palms suited to coastal areas.

Tamarisk, Phormium, hollyhocks, Morus kagayamae, Abelia, and Crocosmias: easy plants for a seaside garden

In a tiny garden, as is often the case in seaside resorts, you will need to consider the size of the plants. Since this garden is often well protected by walls or adjacent villas, you might even be able to plant some exotics directly in the ground. Choose characterful or graphic plants: a Cycas revoluta in a mild region, a Cordyline australis, a Pittosporum tenuifolium, a Bupleurum fruticosum, a mass of white or blue Agapanthus, and add a beautiful climbing plant to save space on a trellis along the wall (Plumbago, Solanum, or a climbing rose if pruning doesn’t deter you). The compact nature of such a garden may also inspire you to create a blue garden!

Cycas revoluta, Agapanthus, Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Variegatum’, Perovskia and rosemary, Bupleurum fruticosum and Plumbago

→ also see our articles dedicated to coastal gardening: 10 evergreen bushes for coastal gardens, plants resistant to sea spray, Designing a coastal garden

The Importance of mulching

Finally, it cannot be emphasised enough, mulching is a significant ally, perhaps even more so in a secondary residence garden as it helps to reduce a good portion of weeding… giving you a bit more time for yourself!

It also has qualities of soil protection (both against the effects of drought and soil leaching), in addition to protecting the roots of all plants sensitive to cold.

In short… it’s essential for the layout of your holiday garden: a little time spent just after planting for immense satisfaction!

→ See also: Mulching, why, how?

Mineral or organic mulch, suitable for the type of plants, is essential!