Keeping a new border cost effective
Edge by hand
There’s no need to invest in expensive edging if your border is next to a lawn. Just make sure there’s a 15cm (6in) gap between the edge of the lawn and the nearest plant, and you’ll always be able to mow the grass edge. Flick the soil towards the border and away from the lawn with a fork and there’ll always be a ‘drop’, which will allow you to make the grass edge even neater with edging shears.
Divide plants that are already too big
Before you plant up a new border, have a look at the perennials already growing in your garden. If they’ve formed big clumps then now’s the perfect time to lift them from the ground, split them into pieces and replant them as ‘new’ smaller plants. One old plant can become seven new ones for your border. Plant the same new plant at irregular intervals along the border and it’ll make it look much longer.
Move plants that are growing in isolation
If you’ve a rose or shrub growing all on its own in a lawn, a pot or in a neglected corner, why not add it to your new border? Now’s a good time to move deciduous and evergreen shrubs and some plants in pots may be crying out to be grown in the ground, where their roots will have more space. Choose a cool, damp day, dig around the rootballs of the plants, taking care not to dig too close to the main stem. Transfer the plant straight into the border – dig the hole ready for it before you move it – and water it in well. Repeat the watering every time the soil dries out. Mature plants that are successfully moved are a great way of making a new border look full and mature in year one.