How to plant a low maintenance border
A border in your garden is an ideal way to add colour, structure and year-round interest using your favourite plants and flowers. To get the most out of your border, it requires some careful planning
There are many things to consider when planning your border. There are the practical elements, such as how much space is available, what kind of soil you have and how much sunlight your garden gets. But you also need to factor in the more creative side of border-planning too. What is the overall look you’re trying to achieve? What colour scheme suits your style? What kind of plants do you want to grow? These are just some of the other important questions you need to consider
Not sure where to get started? We’ve pulled together this easy guide on planting the perfect garden border, including how to layout your borders to achieve great results, design ideas, and plant recommendations for different growing conditions
WHERE TO POSITION YOUR GARDEN BORDER
Understanding your garden’s growing conditions is key to creating a beautiful border. Some things to consider when planning is:
What kind of soil does your garden have? Is it clay-like or sandy?
How much sunlight does your garden get? Will your border be mostly in shade?
Is your garden exposed to other elements such as wind?
Knowing all these things when you’re starting to plant a border is key – it helps you understand what plants will work best for your garden
HOW TO LAYOUT A GARDEN BORDER
Consider the size of your garden to decide what shape your border should be and how much space it should take up. Planning what size your border will be again allows you to decide on the number of plants you’ll need to fill it
For example - a wide, large border looks best in a big garden, while in smaller spaces a narrow or curved border will suit better
GARDEN BORDER DESIGN IDEAS
Shapes
Straight-edged borders are quite formal, modern and an easy way to divide up your garden
Curved borders can evoke a softer, more natural feel. Sweeping curves can also make a space look larger than it is
Formless borders are like curved borders, but they have more waves of varying sizes, like the shape of a winding river. The plants in these borders usually spill over the edges
Styles
You might want to design your borders around a particular garden style. Once again, this will help you narrow down the plants to choose from. Popular garden styles include cottage garden, traditional, wildlife garden, Japanese, alpine, and Mediterranean
Colours
It can be tempting to pick flowers in all your favourite colours to go into your borders, and for some a pick-n-mix colour palette might be the perfect look. But it’s important to think about your colour scheme when choosing plants
If you’re looking for a display with a big impact then you might choose more exotic plants with warmer hues in reds and pinks, while cooler pastel colours like yellow and blue can create a more relaxing atmosphere
A single colour theme can also work well. This is where you pair together different shades of the same colour, for example scarlet red and deep burgundy. If you want a bolder look then you might pair together opposing colours, such as blues and yellows or purples and oranges. Or you might choose harmonious colours for a design that’s easy on the eyes, like red and oranges or purples and blues
Keep in mind that small borders look better with a limited colour palette. Selecting three harmonious colours, or two opposing colours, is generally an easy way to create a lovely look. Larger borders can have more tones, but be sure to factor in the colour of your foliage too
Remember to also consider what colours will work well with the other elements of your garden, like your pots and furniture
Planting positions
Where you position your plants in your border is one of the most important things to think about – ultimately this decides the overall impact of your border, and you want to make sure it’s as showstopping as it can be. Place your plants on the ground first before you plant them, so you can visualise the final look and swap things about if you need to
Here are some top tips on how to position your plants in your borders for maximum impact:
Plant in odd numbers like 3s or 5s for a natural look
Place tall plants at the back and short ones at the front
Layer plants in different rows, but avoid rigid straight lines as this looks unnatural
For long borders, you can create repeating patterns with your chosen plants
Fill gaps with grasses or annuals by sowing seeds or planting young plug plants
LOW-MAINTENANCE PLANTS FOR GARDEN BORDERS
As mentioned, finding plants that suit your garden’s growing conditions helps you filter through the thousands of different types available to buy
Consider including plants that have different textures, pair well together (not just colour, but shape too), and which season they flower in - you might want to add in some plants with winter interest too
If you’re looking for some ideas, here are some of our favourite low maintenance, sun-loving plants for your garden border:
Back layer
Syringa Assorted
Cherry Lace
Photinia Carre Rouge
Philadelphus Mont Blanc
Middle layer
Hydrangea
Halimiocistus Sahucii
Choisya Ternata
Front layer
Hebe (Pink Lady, Matty Brown, Rose Sparklet)
Potentilla Red Ace
Lavender (Loddon Pink)
Daphne Aureomarginata
Spiraea Jap, Magic carpet
Marigolds
We’ve made this easy border design you can recreate in your own garden using the above plants
We’d love to see pictures of your garden border creations - make sure to take a picture and tag us @dobbiesgardencentres for your chance to be featured on our social media channels
