A KEEN gardener from Taunton has shared his secrets on how he turned his regular small garden into a stunning space where his plants are thriving.

Alan Rigby's garden was relatively plain when he first moved to the area, but it has since become the ideal spot to sit and reflect, and even a source of food for himself and his wife.

"Our garden is a corner plot on a housing estate in Somerset, which five years ago was a lawn, a poplar tree, and two old apple trees with ground at the back and side of the house," Alan said.Somerset County Gazette: The garden before the transformation.The garden before the transformation. (Image: Contributed)

"Of course, the real reason for doing this is to have somewhere a bit different to have a coffee.

"Even better, on a summer’s night in the jungle lit by spotlights installed by the previous owners, to have a beer or two.

"As the saying goes, 'Sometimes ah sits and thinks and sometimes ah just sits'”.

Here are the 12 secrets Alan used to transform his Taunton garden.

  1. Divide the garden into smaller areas separated by tall plants or trellises and climbing plants to create 'an element of secrecy and surprise'. In his garden, Alan chose to create a cottage garden area, a mini allotment, and a jungle space.
  2. Don't be discouraged if your trees don't fruit. Alan says a local farmer believes you will only get a good fruit crop once in every four years. "Fun to experiment with Mediterranean plants - not without risk as I’ve lost two semi-mature mimosas, an echium, an erythrina and a special lobelia," he said.
  3. Use fruit and vegetables which suit the local soil. Alan uses fertile clay added to bagged farmyard manure - which although not cheap, is worth the investment. Somerset County Gazette: Alan's fig tree.Alan's fig tree. (Image: Contributed)
  4. Use plants which grow upwards rather than outwards to save space.
  5. Use diamond trellis fencing on top of your existing fence to provide privacy.
  6. Use climbing nets to support tall plants like beans, raspberries, and sunflowers.
  7. Boysenberries have been particularly successful in his garden.
  8. Prune when possible to save space for other plants, and get creative with space-saving solutions.Somerset County Gazette: A pond surrounded by plants in Alan's garden in Taunton.A pond surrounded by plants in Alan's garden in Taunton. (Image: Contributed)
  9. Re-use water from the shower and washing up to water your garden, and/or invest in water butts.
  10. Use boiling water to get rid of path weeds.
  11. Aluminium garden furniture lasts longer than plastic.
  12. Create a mini games area to keep kids entertained.