‘Plan well before you even select a plant’
When designing a border, consider its structural strength and match the plants you grow to the amount of wind and rain you get. Use plants that are reliably stable to help support others – if a plant’s leaning for light, it’s in the wrong place – and avoid putting weaker plants at the front because they’re likely to fall forward. To help strengthen plants, avoid overfeeding with nitrogen because this produces soft growth that’s more likely to flop over. Don’t try to get more than four months of flower from an individual border. Spreading the flowering period too wide results ults in a lack of impact becausecause the border will justt tick along. Consider using ing woodland and woodland-edge oodland-edge plants for r March–June interest and nd full sun perennials for r June–September. Interplantingnterplanting bulbs can an extend the interest without losing space. Try using an oscillating hoe,hoe which cuts on the push and pull, reducing your workload. They come in a range of widths with self-sharpening, replaceable blades and are excellent on hard ground. Ours are made by Glaser Engineering and they’re expensive, but well worth it in the long run.
Ensure you have a welldefined planting theme before you even select a plant. Being clear on your initial intention brings clear, creative direction that informs all your decisions so that everything pushes towards the same goal.
Don’t settle for ones that perform poorly during parts of the season, letting down your border, or providing unnecessary maintenance. Don’t just be enticed by a pretty flower, but instead, consider a plant’s performance throughout the year. Interesting leaves and an attractive habit will add to your border’s potential, but avoid those that turn black and collapse in a heap later, constantly fall over, are short lived (unless you’re willing to propagate replacements), self-seed excessively or aggressively.