As gardeners we're conditioned to being told to take it steady, be patient, let nature take its course. Plant something small, nurture it carefully and, in a few years' time, it might finally resemble the impressive plant pictured on the label. Let's be honest… does it ever?

But all that is very well and we all enjoy watching a garden mature over time. But sometimes we just don't want to wait. Like ordering a takeaway when we can't be bothered to prepare and cook a meal, there are times when we want our garden to mature right now.

Perhaps you've just moved into a new house and the garden is just grass, fencing, and an awful lot of empty space. Maybe you've removed an old hedge or tired planting scheme and suddenly discovered just how big the gap behind it really is. Or perhaps you've finally decided to tackle that miserable corner of the garden you've been ignoring for years.

Whatever the reason, choosing larger and more established plants can dramatically reduce the time it takes for a garden to begin looking mature. And it does it instantly.

If you're completely new to the idea, our guide to instant impact gardening explains how larger plants, climbers and coordinated borders can be used together to make a garden feel established much more quickly.

But what are the best plants to use?

Let's have a look.

What Are the Best Plants for Instant Impact?

The best plants for instant impact are those that already provide useful height, width, structure or coverage when they are planted.

These usually include:

• Established shrubs.
• Extra-large shrubs.
• Evergreen shrubs.
• Flowering shrubs.
• Mature climbing plants.
• Feature plants.
• Coordinated border collections.

The right choice depends entirely on what your garden is missing. If you need height and structure, choose larger shrubs. If you need to soften a fence or wall, use an established climber. If the problem is an empty border, a ready-made planting collection can give you several complementary plants in one go.

The trick isn't simply to buy the biggest plant you can find.

It's to choose plants whose existing size solves a particular problem in your garden.

Established Shrubs: The Backbone of an Instant Garden

Established shrubs are one of the easiest ways to make a young garden look more mature.

Shrubs provide the permanent framework that many gardens need. Our range of established large shrubs is particularly useful when you want to create this kind of immediate framework.

Larger shrubs work well:

• At the back of borders.
• In garden corners.
• Along boundaries.
• Around patios.
• Beside paths.
• Among smaller shrubs and perennials.

Once several substantial shrubs are in position, the rest of the planting scheme becomes much easier to build.

Instead of staring at a completely blank border, you're simply filling the spaces between the main structural plants.

Extra-Large Shrubs for Immediate Presence

Extra-large shrubs are particularly useful when a garden needs a strong focal point or a substantial plant to fill a large empty area.

Our instant impact extra-large shrubs are just the ticket when you want a more mature appearance from the outset.

Consider using them:

• In a large border.
• At the end of a garden.
• Beside a seating area.
• To soften a prominent corner.
• As a stand-alone feature.
• To break up a long stretch of fencing.

You don't need dozens of them.

In fact, one or two well-positioned larger shrubs can often transform the appearance of an entire planting area.

Evergreen Shrubs for Year-Round Structure

Evergreen plants provide permanent shape and foliage, helping the garden retain its structure throughout the year.

During spring and summer they form the backdrop for flowering plants. During autumn and winter they become much more noticeable as deciduous plants lose their leaves.

Evergreen shrubs look their best:

• Around entrances.
• Beside patios.
• In front gardens.
• At the back of mixed borders.
• In areas visible from the house during winter.
• Where year-round screening is important.

You don't need an entirely evergreen garden.

A mixture of evergreen and deciduous plants is usually more interesting.

Flowering Shrubs Give You Size and Colour

Established flowering shrubs are ideal when you want instant structure without sacrificing seasonal colour.

They're one of my favourite ways to fill a new border because you get several benefits from a single plant.

Depending on the variety, a flowering shrub can provide:

• Height.
• Width.
• Attractive foliage.
• Flowers.
• Autumn colour.
• Habitat for insects and wildlife.

Used alongside evergreen shrubs, they help stop an instant impact planting scheme becoming too formal or static.

Rather than planting a row of identical plants, mix structural evergreen shrubs with flowering varieties.

The result feels much more like a garden that has developed naturally over time.

Large Climbers for Bare Walls and Fences

A large empty fence can dominate a garden.

You can fill the border beneath it with beautiful plants, but the eye will still be drawn to that expanse of bare timber.

That's where established climbers really earn their place.

Large climbing plants provide quicker height and coverage, making them particularly useful for softening fences, walls, pergolas, and trellis.

Our instant impact extra-large climbers already have considerably more growth than younger plants, giving you a head start when covering vertical surfaces.

They can be used to soften:

• Garden fences.
• Brick walls.
• Garages and outbuildings.
• Pergolas.
• Arches.
• Trellis panels.

Popular types of climbing plant include clematis, honeysuckle, jasmine, ivy and wisteria.

Each has its own growing habit and requirements, so make sure the plant you choose suits both the position and the support available.

Ready-Made Borders for Filling Empty Spaces Quickly

Sometimes the problem isn't one empty corner. It's an entire border. You may have several metres of freshly prepared soil and absolutely no idea what to plant in it. We've all been there.

Ready-made border collections offer a simple way to create a coordinated planting scheme without choosing every plant individually.

Our ready-made garden border collections combine plants selected to work together, giving you a much easier starting point for a new planting area.

Collections can help introduce:

• Different heights.
• Complementary colours.
• Contrasting foliage.
• Flowering interest.
• Structure.
• Seasonal variety.

You can also choose planting combinations around the look you're trying to create, including border collections organised by colour or garden style.

Feature Plants Draw the Eye

Not every plant needs to blend into the background. Sometimes the quickest way to transform a garden is to add one plant that's deliberately meant to stand out.

A feature plant acts as a focal point, giving the eye somewhere to rest and helping organise the planting around it.

Feature plants work particularly well:

• At the end of a path.
• Near a patio.
• In a prominent border.
• Beside an entrance.
• In a large container.
• In a previously empty corner.

The feature doesn't necessarily need to be the biggest plant in the garden.

An unusual shape, striking foliage or strong colour can be just as effective.

Once you've chosen that focal point, the surrounding plants can play a supporting role.

Plants for Instant Screening

Sometimes instant impact isn't purely about appearance. You may also want privacy.

Perhaps a neighbouring window overlooks the garden, a new fence feels exposed, or you've removed an old hedge and suddenly feel as though half the street can see your patio.

Larger evergreen shrubs and established climbers are among the most useful plants for creating faster screening.

Again, the important word is faster. No newly planted shrub or climber is going to create a completely mature screen overnight.

But beginning with larger plants can considerably shorten the time you're waiting for useful height and coverage.

Which Plants Should You Choose for a Small Garden?

For small gardens, choose fewer established plants and make sure their mature size suits the available space.

Bigger plants don't automatically require a bigger garden.

In fact, instant impact planting can work incredibly well in compact spaces because you don't need many plants to create a strong effect.

A useful combination might be:

• One established shrub as a focal point.
• One climber against a fence.
• Several smaller flowering plants around them.

Which Plants Should You Choose for a Large Garden?

Large gardens create the opposite problem. Small plants can disappear. A single young shrub surrounded by several metres of empty soil may be perfectly healthy but visually it can look rather insignificant.

In larger gardens, established and extra-large shrubs help create the scale needed to make planting areas feel balanced.

Use larger plants to establish the main structure. Then plant smaller shrubs and perennials between them.

Mix Large and Small Plants

Perhaps the biggest misconception about instant impact gardening is that everything needs to be mature. It doesn't. In fact, a mixture usually looks better.

The most natural instant impact gardens combine larger structural plants with smaller plants that will gradually fill the remaining spaces.

Think of it as buying yourself a head start. Over time the difference between the original larger plants and the younger ones becomes less noticeable.

Don't Plant Everything Too Close Together

It's easy to get carried away.

When you've decided you want instant impact, every patch of visible soil suddenly feels like something that needs to be filled.

But remember:

Established plants are bigger when you buy them, but they will continue to grow.

Always check the expected mature height and spread.

Planting too closely might create a wonderfully full effect for the first year or two, but eventually the plants will begin competing for space.

A Simple Instant Impact Planting Formula

If you want to transform an empty area and aren't sure where to start, this simple combination works in many gardens.

1. Choose one main structural plant.
   This might be a large evergreen or flowering shrub.
2. Add height.
   Use another established shrub or a climber to create a higher planting layer.
3. Introduce colour.
   Add flowering shrubs, perennials or a coordinated border collection.
4. Include some evergreen foliage.
   This keeps the planting attractive outside the main flowering season.
5. Fill around the main plants.
   Use smaller plants and allow them time to mature naturally.

You don't need dozens of different plants.

A relatively small number of carefully selected plants can completely alter how established a garden feels.

Final Thoughts

There's absolutely nothing wrong with buying small plants and enjoying the process of watching them mature.

That's one of the great pleasures of gardening.

But you don't have to make everything a long-term project.

Sometimes you want the garden to look better this year rather than several years from now.

A handful of well-positioned established shrubs, a larger climber, perhaps a ready-made border and a few smaller plants around them can completely change the character of an outdoor space.

You'll still get to watch the garden grow.

You'll still rearrange things, change your mind and discover that one plant has decided to grow twice as quickly as everything around it.

You'll just be starting a little further along the journey.

Explore Plants for Instant Impact

If you'd like to give your garden a head start, Direct Plants has several ranges designed to provide greater size, structure and coverage from the outset.

Explore our established large shrubs, make a bigger statement with instant impact extra-large shrubs, add vertical interest with extra-large climbing plants, or take the guesswork out of creating a new planting scheme with our ready-made garden border collections.

Whether you're filling one awkward gap or transforming an entire garden, a few carefully chosen established plants can make a surprisingly big difference.