The Border

It is important to get the shape and proportion of the border right.  Allow at least a width of 4ft (1.2m) – that way the plants will have a chance to spread.  If your borders are close to the house try to make them blend with the lines of the house.  Use a hosepipe to experiment with the size and shape of the border.
 
In modern gardening the herbaceous border has fallen out of favour.  This is not surprising as it is very labour intensive and most of us don’t have a head gardener and several under-gardeners to do the work.  Modern gardeners perfer the mixed border, which is a good thing as shrubs provide structure and bulbs provide seasonal colour.  You should consider planting some evergreens in your border, but don’t let them dominate the design.
 
When you are planting large shrubs in the border think carefully about the positioning, they don’t all have to go at the back.  Bringing some taller shrubs forward will look more interesting.  The border can make or break your garden design and it is worth spending a bit of time planning it.  Don’t see the border as a project to be undertaken and completed, rather see it as constantly evolving.  Using that approach will make it a lot easier to remove plants or shrubs if they are not performing or are obviously in the wrong part of the border.
 
If you need to introduce some instant height in the border you can use wooden or metal obelisks and grow clematis, roses or other climber over them.  This would also make for a pretty focal point.
 
Examine your border and note where the gaps are.  If you have a greenhouse you can plant up pots of tulips, alliums, canna and the like and then introduce them into the gaps the border throughout the season.  In modern gardening the single colour border has become very popular.  The White Garden at Sissinghurst does look stunning, but this idea does not always work well in the smaller garden.  The border often looks better with a dual colour approach, say blue and white or a colour theme like dark purple fading to pale pink.
 
It is very important when planning the border that you plan your planting so that you do not end up with a dead border by the end of August.  If you don’t really get frosts until November you can make the most of late blooming perennials, such as Echinaceas and Rudbeckias.  Penstemons bloom until the first frosts and Dahlias and Cannas provide stunning colour in late Autumn.  Remember to plant spring bulbs as these will provide welcome colour after the long winter.  Try to plant them in large group, as this will create more of an impact.  Hardy geraniums also look lovely and provide colour and interest in from early Spring onwards and they will divert attention away from the now finished bulbs in the border.