Opposites attract
Create drama in summer borders using contrasting shapes, textures and colours. Here’s how...
The archetypal mixed summer border contains a joyous abundance of flower and foliage forms. From daisies and pompoms to stately spires and billowing clouds of feathery ‘froth’ – there’s plenty to excite and draw the eye. Many of the best planting schemes have a pleasing ‘free for all’ look, so it’s surprising how much organisation goes into them. One quick and foolproof way of making a border scheme hang together is by making deliberate plant contrasts. That is, picking opposites and planting them next to each other to emphasise their key attributes. This might entail partnering a plant with rounded umbel flowers (for example, achillea or orlaya) against one with upright spires (lupins ), strappy foliage (irises) or feathery fronds (stipa). Any of these opposites would work well with the rounded umbel flower, so it’s just a matter of considering the options until you settle on something that works. For most of us, this ‘playing with plants’ aspect of design involves a visit to a nursery or garden centre to spend time juxtaposing the different plant forms, without having to commit to buying them. Another useful idea is to visit open gardens to take photos of the successful plant contrasts they’ve used, then simply copy them at home. You may need to do a bit of detective work to find out exact cultivars used, but usually the gardening team is happy to help. Try not to limit your contrasts to flower colours alone. Although this is an easy and reliable means of striking a successful contrast, don’t forget about plant texture and form, height and habit. For instance, tall and very short plants can look fabulous together – just think of any woodland scheme where spring bulbs carpet the soil around a statuesque, coppiced cornus. There are opposites in habit too: mounding plants provide an excellent foil for more upright or spiky forms (see above). There are some potential pitalls to avoid: it’s no good trying to partner sun-loving heleniums with lush green ferns that prefer damp shade. Instead, find opposites that will love the same growing conditions you have to offer, and work from there. Think about timing, too. For least fuss and best year-round value, choose opposing plants that offer a long season of interest so your contrasts are effective for as much of the year as possible. It’s all about spotting the opportunities offered by your plants, and partnering them with good neighbours that will bring out their best.
“For least fuss and best value choose opposing plants that offer a long season of interest”