The edge of Heaven
Borders can be simply divine – and now is the perfect time to create a new one
IT IS described, rather prosaically, as a ‘strip of ground along the edge of a lawn or path for planting flowers or shrubs’. But for me, a well-designed herbaceous border is one of the most desirable of all features, providing shape, colour, texture and movement to the garden. Borders tend to reach their peak in summer and early autumn, but with careful planning they will add year-round interest.
We’ve been obsessed with them since Victorian times, when gardeners devised a way to display the glut of species being returned by globetrotting plant- hunters. Inspired by the exuberance of cottage gardens, rectangular beds were filled with perennials set in graduating height.
Autumn is the perfect season to start a border from scratch. The soil is still warm from summer but usually moist, providing ideal conditions for plants to produce roots and establish before the onset of winter. Anything popped into the ground at this time will be ready to romp away in spring.
The first thing to do is to define the outline of your border, whether it is backed by a wall, hedge or fence. Traditionally, they were long and rectangular, but those with a curved outline will make a linear garden seem larger.
Narrow borders lack impact, so provide a depth of about 5ft to allow a multi-layered display.
Mark out the shape with wooden stakes and string. If you are creating borders on a lawn, strip back the turf with a spade and then dig the area over, working in wellrotted manure or garden compost and removing any large stones. Leave to settle for a couple of weeks before raking level.
A random selection of plants are unlikely to work well together, so pick a theme, such as Mediterranean, contemporary or cottage garden. Alternatively, go for a colour scheme, whether it is fiery reds, oranges and yellows, or something calmer, such as greens and whites.
As a rule, arrange plants according to height. Place delphiniums, cardoons, Helianthus ‘ Lemon Queen’ and other lofty specimens at the back, with floppy Alchemilla mollis, hardy geraniums and nepeta at the front. Sandwich plants such as lupins, asters and heleniums in between.
Arrange plants in groups of three, five, seven and so on, spacing them 18 in to 24 in apart, depending on their mature size.
Tall, airy perennials, such as Verbena bonariensis and fennel, can be dotted around to provide punctuation marks, while a few shrubs will provide year-round structure.
Borders in shady parts of the garden will never rival their sunny counterparts for lashings of colour, but they don’t have to be filled solely with foliage plants. Astilbes, foxgloves and aquilegias all thrive in lower light. Hydrangeas, azaleas and fuchsias are ideal shrubs for adding height and interest.
Those needing more help could try a ready-made border collection, such as those offered by Crocus, Claire Austin and Beth Chatto Gardens. Garden On A Roll is a clever concept – plants are provided with a border plan printed on biodegradable paper, which can be pegged to the ground and planted through. Water plants well after planting, and then spread a 3 in mulch of garden compost, leafmould or wellrotted manure over the ground, leaving a gap around plants to prevent stems softening and rotting.
Get everything off to a flying start in spring by top-dressing with slow-release fertiliser.
Ensure borders remain in good shape by giving them plenty of attention. Remove weeds and unwanted seedlings and stake tall or top-heavy varieties in spring to prevent them collapsing prematurely. Every four or five years, lift and divide clumps that have outgrown their allotted space.
Why not go for a Med theme, or colours such as fiery reds