Five steps to better borders
Adam Frost shares his fail-safe guide to help you rejuvenate tired borders
Borders looking tired? Adam Frost shares simple steps to rejuvenate them
Now is the perfect time to deal with borders that you’ve been disappointed with this year – after all, every garden benefits from a good old sortout from time to time. I realise that it can be a bit daunting, but with a little planning, it’s easy to breathe life back into your borders to give your garden year-round interest. We’ve now been in our new home for about 18 months and I’m just starting to get my head around the different areas of the garden. And while there are parts that I am creating from scratch, there are other areas that have existing planting which I don’t want to lose because it provides structure. But these zones have become a little unruly: the borders look tired and unbalanced; there are shrubs that aren’t flowering at their best; and some perennials have become really congested, with stronger plants dominating others. Now is the ideal time to sort out what you’ve got in your borders, along with adding a few new gems to liven things up along the way. Don’t know where to start? It’s easy – just follow my five simple steps.
1 Make a plan
When planning a border, the first thing to do is get your idea down on paper. Measure the area, noting down all existing plants and marking the ones you want to leave in their present position. If you plan to alter the border’s shape or size, now is a good time to draw up any changes. Check where the sun rises and sets as this will help you ensure sun-loving plants get the sun they need and shady spots are filled with plants that will thrive there. Designing a border is all about layers. The tallest layer is for any tall trees that you have space for – in a small garden you may need to skip this. The second layer is for smaller trees. Next comes shrubs, followed by perennials, and low-growing plants such as ground cover and small bulbs. Ensuring you have interest across all these layers will give you a great checklist when planning your space. When I go to the garden centre, I always try to have a clear idea beforehand of what I’m trying to add to the border. It may sound boring, but it saves me money!
Adam’s tip Come up with a word to describe how you want your border to feel – ‘hot’, ‘bold’, ‘romantic’ – it’s to keep you focused on the final look.
2 Shape up your shrubs
It’s easy to bring an overgrown shrubby border back to its former glory. Firstly, remove any dead, damaged and diseased stems, as well as crossing stems rubbing against each other. Next, stand back and look at the shrub to work out how you can make it more balanced. Look for a healthy side shoot that you can cut back to an outward-facing bud. You want to encourage new stems to grow outwards, rather than into the middle to create a tangled mess. Most deciduous shrubs, such as dogwood, smokebush and spiraea, respond well to hard pruning in winter. For a total rejuvenation, cut back all stems to 20-30cm from the ground, then give the plant a feed and mulch in spring. If you want to move a shrub, bear in mind that it may not survive the move. Relocate evergreens in October or late Marchearly April, and deciduous shrubs from November to March and keep well watered.
Adam’s tip Remove the lower branches of large shrubs and trees to reveal the main stems. This will transform a bulky shrub into a real feature, and let in more light and air.
3 Perk up your perennials
Perennials can become congested over time, with all the vibrant, flowering growth on the outside of the clump and little going on in the middle. Other perennials can become thug-like and take over borders, killing less-vigorous plants. The best way to solve these problems is to dig them up and divide them. Done every few years, this will rejuvenate tired perennials and stop others spreading too much. Divide summer-flowering plants in autumn or spring, while spring-flowering plants should be divided in summer to give them time to establish before the following year. Dig them up with a spade, taking care to keep as much of the roots attached as possible. Then push two garden forks, back to back, into the centre of the plant and use them as levers to tease the rootball apart – you could also cut through the middle with a knife or spade. When you replant your new bits of plant, make sure you keep them well watered.
Adam’s tip Try replanting thuggish plants in a pot or an area where you have space for them to spread.
4 Get rid of weeds
In mature borders, weeds can hide among perennials and take hold before you have realised. Annual weeds, like chickweed or hairy bittercress, are easy to remove by hand or by lightly hoeing, so get them before they set seed. Perennial weeds take more time and effort. The key is to remove all of the roots, which is sometimes easier said than done! Hoeing or digging up when they first appear will keep on top of them, and many perennial weeds can be gradually weakened and removed over time. In my new border, I dug up all of the plants and grew them on in pots, while I covered the border with a weedsuppressing fabric. Keep the fabric on the ground for at least a year before replanting. Another option is glyphosate-based weedkillers, which are applied to the leaves and then absorbed into the plant down to its roots. Make sure the weedkiller doesn’t touch anything else, as spray can drift onto neighbouring plants.
Adam’s tip Train twining weeds, like bindweed, up a cane to stop them strangling other plants and make them easier to target with weedkiller.
5 Treat yourself to new plants
Now for one of the most exciting parts of gardening – buying and planting new plants! That said, before you head to the nursery, sort out the plants you already have first, then assess your border. See how much space there is to fill and what your border is missing – perhaps it needs more colour, late-season interest or height? Don’t just splurge on lots of plants that will all flower at the same time, leaving you with nothing the rest of the year. When adding new plants, the best thing you can do to help them get growing is keep them well watered and clear of weeds. Stake back the foliage of some of the larger surrounding plants to allow in light to your new plant until it is established. If you have lots of space to fill and a tight budget, try growing perennials from seed, or buy plants that you can divide immediately into two or three pieces, or that you can take cuttings from. Also sow annuals to fill in gaps while you build up your stocks.
Adam’s tip Early October is a great time to sow hardy annuals, such as poppies, cornflowers and pot marigolds for flowers next summer.