Build your garden

Your garden probably isn't one single thing. Maybe there's a sunny bed against the wall and a shaded corridor down the side. That's normal, and it matters, because plants are fussy about light.

So before anything else, look at each spot and ask one question: how much direct sun does it actually get?

Full sun: 6 hours or more of direct sun a day.
Semi-shade: 3 to 6 hours, or sun in the morning and shade by the afternoon.
Shade: less than 3 hours, bright but no harsh direct sun.

One Cairo thing to keep in mind: our afternoon sun is brutal. A spot that bakes from noon onwards is full sun, no argument. If your sunny corner only catches the gentle morning light, treat it as semi-shade.

Pick a look

This is the part that saves you. Every plant here fits into one of three looks, and each look is built so everything inside it drinks the same amount of water. Stay inside a look and everything thrives together. It's why you won't find a thirsty rose sitting next to a desert succulent on this site. They'd never survive the same watering can.

Green and flowering: soft, leafy, full of colour. Roses, hibiscus, gardenia. Likes regular water.
Mediterranean: relaxed, sun-loving, low effort. Olive, lantana, rosemary, gazania. Happy on the dry side.
Desert and cactus: sculptural and almost hands-off. Cacti and succulents that want sun and barely any water.

Build it in layers

A good garden has height to it. Once you've picked your look, you build up in layers:

Fence and screen plants for privacy and a green wall.
Medium plants for colour and shape at eye level.
Ground plants to fill in the front and the edges.
Fruit trees if you want lemons, figs or pomegranate earning their keep.
Grass to tie it all together.

Take one from each layer, or grab a ready-made set we've already put together, and you've got a whole garden.

Start building →