A successful garden border is largely a matter of good marriages between plants. Whether you use shrubs with grasses, annuals with bulbs, or a classic mix of perennials, the goal is the same - to combine plants or drifts of plants in the garden that naturally flow and balance each other.
Drifts of plants create clusters of colour and texture. They not only make a garden look lush, but give it a more harmonious feel. Here are a few guidelines to help you create your own breathtaking border, not matter your gardening style or experience.
A great border has two main elements: flowers that vary in height, shape and texture, and a limited colour palette, whether shades of one colour or complimentary colours.
When planning your garden, don't think of it as one long border - break it down into stages and layers. Layer your border with trees and shrubs for structure, perennials and annuals for colour and self-seeders in natural looking drifts. Each plant will play an integral role in the structure of the garden. Think of plants in terms of risers, fillers and edgers to set the scene for your garden.
If you want impact, provide a focus. Choose a great plant and two companions that will flower simultaneously. Good plant partners must contrast in colour or shape. Ideally, they do both. Use plants in odd numbers as they are more pleasing to the eye and easier to arrange. Though some large showy plants are fine as single specimens, many perennials and most annuals are best in groups of three, five, or seven. Generally, the smaller the plant the more you need to make an impact, but having said that, the larger the flowers, the fewer you need.
Make sure that the drifts you create look natural. Circles and ovals are fine on paper, but in a garden drifts need to take varied and occasionally irregular shapes. Set your pots on the ground and move them until you find the correct placement. Just move them around until they look right with the plants around them. The best part about gardening mistakes is that they can always be dug up again and moved.
Mass plantings of annuals and self-seeders can do much of the work for you. Tiny plants such a violas, self-sown into a crack in paving or among groups of plants, add charm and balance to a border. Stagger the sowing of seeds for amazing results. This simple act will provide a continuous succession of blooms. When planting annuals, place them close together for a display that is both voluptuous and dramatic. Be generous with pastel colours and stingy with hot colours.
Finally, don't overlook climbers that can scramble up poles or cover a shrub that has already flowered. A whole new garden can be created with a trellis and a few climbers. The sky really is the limit.
Good gardening!
