STEP 3 PLANT YOUR BORDER
Choose a sunny or only partially shady spot. Dig it over and remove any weeds, break up compacted ground and add plenty of well-rotted organic matter to give plants a fertile, moist but welldrained soil. Add a mulch after planting. Most of the plants can be established this autumn but leave the sedum and anemanthele until spring. Alternatively, spread a thick layer of well-rotted organic matter over the soil this autumn then prepare and plant the bed early in spring.
1 Start with the hydrangea
‘Annabelle’ is the superstar of this planting scheme and it helps to position this key plant first. You can plant it this autumn if the ground’s still warm, or find plants on sale in April and May as they’re coming into strong growth. This plant loves a fertile, moist soil so add plenty of well-rotted organic matter to its planting hole, water in well and finish with a thick layer of mulch. Leave it unpruned through its first year but in future years cut back hard in spring. ‘Anabelle’ flowers on its current year’s growth and cutting back hard encourages vigorous stems and big flowers. Leaving the flowerheads over winter gives a skeletonlike silhouette of their former glory, especially attractive in frosts and snow.
2 Follow with the bergenia, heuchera and panicum
These perennials can be planted into warm autumn soil, or wait until spring. You’ll get the best bronze and plum-tinted foliage from bergenia ‘Eric Smith’ if it’s positioned in good light. Colour also tends to be better if plants are grown slightly drier although foliage is more lush on moist ground. These evergreen plants spread by rhizomes and once clumps start to become a little tired, lift and split away younger sections in spring, replanting into improved soil. Heucheras grow in sun or part shade, but won’t do well on very dry or very wet ground. Give them some elbow room because they dislike being smothered by neighbours. Tidy up plants in spring, dividing established clumps every three years or so as they come into growth, positioning the crown just above the soil surface. Mulch annually around them. Clump-forming panicum ‘Squaw’ is an unfussy grower that gives its best foliage colour in full sun. Cut this deciduous grass down to the ground in late winter or early spring. Divide established clumps when they’re coming into growth – they can be a little late in spring, so don’t panic if there are no obvious signs of life early on.
3 Finish with the sedum and anemanthele
Neither of these perennials like cold and wet around their roots over winter, which is why it’s best to wait until spring to plant them. Improve their planting area with extra grit for sharper drainage. Water well during dry spells in their first year but after that they’re good at tolerating some drought. Leave hylotelephium ‘Matrona’ flowerheads intact over winter where they’ll look beautiful traced in frost, then cut back to the ground in March. Spring is also the time to lift and divide large clumps, every three years or so. Anemanthele lessoniana is evergreen so rather than cutting plants down in spring, comb through their foliage with your fingers (or a hand rake), pulling out older dead stems and f lowers and leaving healthy growth behind. Plants will self-seed or you can divide established clumps once they’re in strong growth, in late spring or early summer.