How To Install A Garden Border

Make your summer garden borders sing with a harmonious planting scheme that balances colour, shape and texture. Putting together a flower border is a bit like making a work of art. You can 'paint' with plants, dabbing in new colours, adding texture, injecting a dash of this, a few drops of that, to create a pleasing composition. But it can be daunting, too.

How do you get the heights right in a garden border? Will everything flop? Might those two flower colours clash? Like most creative work, it requires a degree of experimentation. But you can make sure you're on the right track by doing a little homework before you start.

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Begin by studying what effects you like. Put together a moodboard of combinations that appeal, either on screen or by cutting pictures from magazines to see how they sit together. Viewing plants side by side in this way gives a good idea of what they might look like in your garden.

While colour is one of the main considerations, you'll need to build in a variety of foliage texture and form, and different flower shapes. Cup-shaped blooms contrast beautifully with spears, feathery foliage acts as a foil for bolder, more rounded leaves. The soil and conditions, plus a plant's growth habit and ultimate size, all play a part, too. These need to be carefully noted and, remember, of course, that the picture will change as the seasons progress.

How to plant the perfect garden border: Ask the experts

Tom Brown, head gardener at West Dean in Sussex, emphasises the power of repetition and rhythm: "If you repeat a particular plant several times down a border, the eye will take that in and find it naturally pleasing." If you have space, position plants in groups of three or five to create impact and avoid a spotty effect.

Garden designer Beth Chatto championed species plants and those that resembled them to create elegant, harmonious schemes. Rosemary Verey, one-time doyenne of country house gardening, advocated planting in vertical layers, to encourage "a climber to billow out over a shrub, or herbaceous plants to push through spreading ground cover". The dynamic elements, often ruled by nature, are what makes garden design so exciting.

Tom Brown favours a naturalistic look – often with a collage of romantic plants that froth and meander. It may look barely controlled, but it requires close monitoring to recognise when to restrain a potential thug or prop up something that's ailing. Getting to know your plants helps you understand their habits and choose well. Refining is at the heart of the process and one of the joys of creating a stunning canvas.

Top tips for planting garden borders

Make a list of plants you want, then halve it: a more limited selection will create stronger impact.
Get your soil into good shape by piling on plenty of compost and organic matter.
Plant densely so there is little to no room in between for weeds.
Water after planting, then mulch with a thick layer of mushroom or garden compost.
Stake early – use metal hoops and supports, canes, hazel and twine.
Aim to have several star attractions as eye-catchers, then surround them with a quieter, harmonious supporting cast.
Remember that annuals give rapid returns: sow a few trays of these early in the season so you can plug gaps through summer.
Deadhead through the season to encourage flowering.
Selectively feed with liquid seaweed any plants that look as though they need a boost.

Beautiful summer borders: A gallery

Jason Ingram

The white umbels and feathery foliage of annual Ammi visnaga add softness to a scheme, here complemented with gentle blues and mauves from Geranium 'Rozanne', catmint Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant' and Perovskia 'Blue Spire'. Dotted beyond these is the pink of Sidalcea 'Elsie Heugh'.

Jason Ingram

Build impact with different plants of a similar hue. Here, the dark purple flower spikes of Salvia 'Caradonna', partnered with vibrant Phlox 'Blue Paradise', are surrounded by Salvia verticillata 'Purple Rain', Scabious 'Say So Blue' and S. 'Oxford Blue'. Behind are Echinacea 'White Swan' and the spires of Veronicastrum alba.

Jason Ingram

Allowing one variety to weave through another, as with these white 'Snow Maiden' scabious and 'Vatican White' clary sage, can create magical effects.

Jason Ingram

Add punch with dramatic, eye-catching foliage. Here, the almost metallic-looking leaves
of Ricinus communis 'New Zealand Purple' and the glaucous, serrated ones of Melianthus major are shot through with the spear-like flowers of Kniphofia 'Tawny King' and Agastache 'Black Adder'.

Jason Ingram

Echinacea 'White Swan' daisies are the star attraction here, with a supporting cast of blue and white larkspur Consolida regalis 'Cloudy Skies' and 'Snowcloud'.

Jason Ingram

Having contrasting leaf shape and colour is a vital part of a successful scheme. The silvery-grey foliage of Artemisia ludoviciana 'Valerie Finnis' sits beautifully with mauves such as Salvia 'Say So Blue', long-flowering Geranium 'Rozanne' and Penstemon 'Alice Hindley'.

Jason Ingram

Hot colours turn on the sunshine. Start with a host of yellows – daisy-like Coreopsis verticillata 'Grandiflora' at the front with Verbascum chaixii and bronze fennel behind and Turkish sage Phlomis russeliana for drama. Add spice with dark-leaved red orach Atroplex hortensis var. rubra and Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff'.

10 best garden sprinklers to keep your lawn and borders watered

Pop-up sprinkler — Best Garden Sprinkler

Sprinklersystem Turbo-driven Pop-up Sprinkler

Gardena amazon.co.uk

£22.95

Keep your grass watered with this turbo-driven pop-up sprinkler. Simply install the sprinkler centrally on your desired area, connect it with a connector to a pipeline and let the water do the rest.

Multiflo sprinkler — Best Garden Sprinkler

Flopro multiflo sprinkler

With a sturdy ground spike, this multiflo sprinkler is ideal for use on lawns and borders. Made from premium grade UV-resistant plastic, it can be used alone or as part of a modular system. Your grass will be looking green again in no time...

Rectangular sprinkler — Best Garden Sprinkler

Hozelock Rectangular Sprinkler

Hozelock argos.co.uk

£21.00

Designed to give 100% even water coverage, this rectangular sprinkler is great for all garden space. It also has 15 jets, so is brilliant for both play and watering the grass.

Round sprinkler — Best Garden Sprinkler

Round Sprinkler

Hozelock Ltd amazon.co.uk

£18.49

This high performance metal spike sprinkler reaches a maximum area coverage of 314m², ensuring every patch of lawn gets watered. The spike design ensures durability, while the water-powered spray makes it easier to water.

Sprinkler on a tripod — Best Garden Sprinkler

Flopro elite tripod sprinkler

Brilliant for lawns, beds, borders and taller plants, this versatile sprinkler adjusts in height from 40-95cm and in spraying angle from 0-360 degrees. The sturdy tripod has weighted legs for stability, while the heavy duty metal sprinkler head easily adjusts.

Sturdy style — Best Garden Sprinkler

Metal base pulsating sprinkler

waitrosegarden.com

£34.99

With a durable alloy base, this pulsating sprinkler covers an area up to 25cm in diameter and features a fully adjustable spray pattern. This style also includes a brass hose connector to fit a standard half-inch hose.

Pulse sprinkler — Best Garden Sprinkler

Gardena Premium Full or Part Circle Pulse Sprinkler

Gardena amazon.co.uk

£29.74

Mounted on a robust plastic sled, this pulse sprinkler has three metal inserts to make it stable. An essential for any keen gardener.

Easy-grip sprinkler — Best Garden Sprinkler

Hozelock Vortex 8 Sprinkler

With eight spray patterns to choose from, this sprinkler has a soft-touch easy-grip adjuster ring for changing spray patterns even with wet hands.

Oscillating sprinkler — Best Garden Sprinkler

Kärcher Premium Oscillating Sprinkler - OS 5.320SV

Kärcher amazon.co.uk

£33.70

With ground forks for stability and a built-in pre-filter, this sprinkler has a swaying movement for convenient positioning without getting wet.

Adjustable spray sprinkler — Best Garden Sprinkler

Draper 17-Hole Oscillating Sprinkler

Keep your garden in top form with this nifty sprinkler. Designed to cover every inch of your grass or flowerbed, it features an adjustable spray pattern facility and a oscillation adjustment.

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