PLANT YOUR BORDER
Both the dogwoods and willow will grow on heavier soil and do best with consistent moisture at their feet, but that’s not to say you can plant them in unimproved clay and leave them to it! Loosen compacted ground with a fork and add plenty of well-rotted organic matter (plus extra grit to heavy clay) to create moisture-retentive but well-drained soil. This is a long-term planting that needs a clean, weed-free start (imagine trying to dig out weeds from a drift of naturalised scilla… no fun). If your site has perennial weeds, consider covering it with compost and thick tarpaulin for a year rather than attempting to dig out weeds by hand.
1 Start with the dogwoods and willow
Both dogwoods and willow can be planted bareroot from November to April as long as the ground is workable (not frozen or waterlogged). Soak roots in a bucket of water for an hour before planting while you take the time to double check spacings and keep in mind their eventual spread. Aim for a planting hole twice as wide as deep, adding plenty of well-rotted organic matter to help power their remarkable annual growth. Finish by firming back the soil and watering in deeply, then cover the area with a thick mulch of weed-free organic matter. If you know of friends already growing these plants, now is a good time to take hardwood cuttings. Once the shrubs are established (allow two or three years), you can begin hard annual pruning before buds break in spring. The dogwoods are best coppiced back to a low framework of shoots, but the willow can be pollarded for more height. This ensures the willow’s crown of stems will be visible above the dogwoods. If plants seem to be struggling, give them a boost with a generalpurpose feed in spring and leave the secateurs in the shed.
2 Underplant with euonymus
This slowly spreading variegated evergreen will grow in either sun or shade and is best planted in spring or autumn. Before planting, soak its container thoroughly with water and improve the soil with wellrotted organic matter as you work. Finish with a weed-free mulch and keep an eye on watering while it’s getting established. In the first spring, tip back shoots by a third to encourage bushy growth and prune out any plain shoots, should you find them.
3 Add a flourish of bulbs
Little spring flowers work best in large numbers. Fortunately both the narcissi and scillas will spread once happy, so you don’t need to plant the entire sweep yourself, assuming you have the patience to wait. Plant in late summer to early autumn. Look out for plump, disease-free bulbs at your local garden centre or order online from a specialist. Plant bulbs three times their own depth, around 10cm (4in) deep for the daffodils, less for the scilla. They’re both happy beneath the branches of deciduous shrubs, giving them spring sunshine before the leaves appear. Resist the urge to tidy away foliage after flowering or you’ll be robbing the plant of energy for next year’s display.