DESIGN TIPS

Decide on your theme Traditional perennial borders have tall, flowering plants at the rear and shorter plants in front. Contemporary borders feature dri s of plants and allow tall plants to move closer to the front.

Choose a style that suits your environment Historic borders feature flowering plants from Europe that have a long dormant period in winter before bursting into flower in summer. If you opt for an aromatic Mediterranean style, then grey- or silver-hued foliage is your strong point and flower colours are more subtle. Tropical borders are also very leafy, but the flowers are big and bright.

Use small trees Crepe myrtle, silver birch, Japanese maple or a smoke bush create year-round interest. Angel’s trumpet releases a beautiful fragrance in the evening.

Include natives Many natives flower in winter and early spring, so give your summer garden a headstart. Plus, they are evergreen, so you’ll always have foliage in autumn and winter.

Co-ordinate needs

If you plan to have flowers emerge at the same time, make sure they have the same water, sun or shade needs and that they complement each other in colour, height and form.

11 10 TURN DOWN THE HEAT

Along your tropical border you can feature low-growing plants that love the shade and moist conditions. So blow your mind with a colourful collection of begonias and impatiens, nestled under lacy tree ferns, then add big-leafed anthuriums, gingers and the leafy rice paper plant.

11 DEFY THE TRENDS

Mix and match your plant types by giving your collection a common colour theme – say dots or stripes of orange with so yellow-green. Big-leafed canna ‘Durban’ matches the dark-leafed dahlia ‘Moonfire’, then mix them with a velvety agave, Irish rose (Aeonium arboreum) and lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis).

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