The Scottish Mail on Sunday - You
PULL IT TOGETHER
bamboo; or a cottage garden style, with self-seeding annuals and perennials that will spread without needing regular digging up and dividing. Traditional herbaceous borders are the sort you see in the grounds of stately homes, ablaze with mid-summer flowers, often set against a yew or beech hedge. They can be a lot of work, as the hedge may harbour weeds and pests, and once the summer display is over, there is nothing much to see.
In a small garden, you’ll probably be better off planting a mixed border perhaps in an island bed. You can include trees and winter-flowering shrubs for height and bulk; perennials (which add summer colour) and bulbs, which provide a spring show, meaning there’s something to see most of the year. There’s less work involved in this kind of scheme – it’s the original pick ’n’ mix selection.
PLANNING IS KEY
Why not just go to the garden centre and buy whatever takes your fancy? Well, impulse buying is fun, but when the plant that looked great in the shop finishes flowering, it may be ages before it ‘peaks’ again. You need to be a bit methodical – sorry!
One of the best ways to plan a bed or border is to start jotting down the names of plants that will grow well in your garden’s circumstances. Reference books contain useful lists of plants for particular situations, or try spending a fact-finding morning in a garden centre. But one of the most enjoyable ways of undertaking research is to visit other gardens. When you see a scheme you like, take notes or a picture to remind you later.
When you analyse what makes a border successful, you’ll see there are several basic plant shapes: tall and upright, low and spreading, spiky, domed, rounded and foamy ‘filler’. Try sketching rough plant shapes on paper and arranging them together to get an idea of the finished effect.
A good tip is to place plants in threes to create ‘triangles’. Think about colours that go together or contrast well: for example, in a traditional border, it makes sense to have a preponderance of green – provided by evergreen and foliage plants – with blobs of colour sprinkled throughout to stop everything clashing.
Then, keeping them in their pots, place your plants in position and judge the overall effect, before planting the major trees and/or shrubs and evergreens. You can then add your perennials and fill the gaps with annuals while you wait for the shrubs to grow. Finally, fork the soil over lightly and mulch it well (with organic matter such as compost).
Remember, however, that your scheme will change with the seasons and as it matures. The great thing about plants is that, if you decide you really don’t like the result later, you can always dig them up and move them – it’s a lot easier than moving house.