Border Plantings, How To:  

Border plants can decorate a path, edge a sidewalk, or support a focal point.  They can also define property lines and offer privacy.  Landscapes will often feature numerous borders within a single design. Creating a border is not difficult, and many kinds of plants can be utilized in this manner.  The most common borders include the shrub border, perennial border, and mixed border.  The shrub border is predominately composed of a variety of bushes that border a property, helping to create outdoor living spaces, provide privacy, and as a backdrop for flower beds.  Perennial borders are filled with herbaceous plants that die back to the ground in winter, resuming their growth in spring.  Perennials offer gardeners an enormous selection of plant color, form, size, and bloom season.  Mixed borders contain trees and shrubs, inter-planted with perennials.  The blending of height, form, texture, and color, creates a layering effect that is attractive in all seasons.   

Whether creating a mixed, shrub or perennial border, the initial first steps of the design are the same: 

Define your space:  The border garden is typically located against a wall, walkway, or fence.  But, it can also be an island bed.  Island beds have the advantage of being viewed from all sides.    

Sketch out your plan on graph paper or test out possible shapes for your border using a rope or hose.  Determine which plants, if any, you want to remove and which to keep.  Also, take note of any structural elements, such as, air conditioners, fencing, sheds and walls.  What features do you wish to highlight and what needs to be hidden.

What style of garden do you fancy?  Most garden styles fit into one of two categories, formal or informal.  Do you want to follow the natural flow of a landscape with softly curved edges, or do you prefer geometric forms and straight lines?  Browse the different garden styles presented in gardenoma™ and how they are created.  When you have found one you like, keep their guidelines in mind while developing your border.

Determine the amount of light the site receives daily.  Plants have different requirements, some requiring full sun, while others need shade.  Keep the following in mind when choosing your plants:

• Full sun = 6 + hours of direct sun
• Part shade/sun = 3-6 hours of direct sun
• Shade = 3 hours or less of direct sun

Assess your soil conditions.   Is your soil clay, loam, or sand?  Does your soil hold moisture or is it on the dry side?  These conditions will determine what plants will thrive, and those not suited, for your site.  Heavy clay or sandy soils will benefit from a two to three inch layer of organic matter, such as compost or leaf mold. 

Choose Plants:  Select plants that meet your needs.  It is easier to create a successful garden if you grow plants matched to your growing conditions.  Use pest and disease resistant varieties when possible, and observe your local hardiness zone.  Plants purchased at your local garden center are going to grow, so when choosing plants, keep in mind their mature height and width.      

Mixed Borders:

Mixed borders are composed of small trees, panerai replica shrubs, perennials, and ground covers.  Woody plants (trees and shrubs), both deciduous and evergreen, will establish the backbone of your border, and should be planted first.  Create depth by mixing plant heights, starting with low, ground hugging plants at the front edge, adding height in layers as you move toward the back of the bed.  To avoid the stepped look, mix it up just a little, placing a few larger specimens into groupings of shorter plants. Do not forget how the garden will look in winter.  Along with evergreens, choose a few trees or shrubs with attractive bark or structure. Listed below are a few suggestions:  

Shrubs:  azalea, barberry, boxwood, caryopteris, clethra, dogwood shrub, fothergilla, holly, hydrandgea, juniper, lilac, mockorange, ninebark, rhododendron, rose of sharon, shrub rose, spiraea, globe spruce, weigela, viburnum.

Trees:  amur maple, crab apple, crapemyrtle, dogwood, dwarf alberta spruce, dwarf hinoki false cypress, fringe tree, Japanese maple, mountain stewartia, redbud, serviceberry.

Perennials:  choose based on the growing conditions, placing perennials with similar needs next to each other.  Use the gardenoma™ database for plant selection.

Perennial Borders:          

Herbaceous perennials offer a wide variety of color, form, texture and size.  Most are long lived and low maintenance.  Consider using some small to medium shrubs as the supporting backbone to your perennial border.  Shrubs will provide garden interest when the perennials have died back to the ground in winter.  Clethra, hydrangea, ninebark, spiraea, weigela, and shrub roses are all good choices. 

When selecting your perennials consider color and bloom sequence.  If unsure about flower color, check out my article on “Choosing Color”.  You will want your perennial border to produce flowers for the entire growing season, so, select plants with different blooming periods.  A well planned bed will have one or more plants in flower at any given time.  You can also design your perennial bed to highlight fragrance or attract butterflies and hummingbirds.  Use the gardenoma™ database for plant selection.

Plant in groups:  the same plant placed in groups of 3 or 5 will provide more visual interest.  Avoid planting just one unless it is large and being used as a focal point.

Repetition:  repeating certain plants or groups of plants though out the garden will unify the space replica rolex submariner watches and help draw the eye through the design.

Plant the tallest perennials towards the back of the bed, with mid-size plants in the middle, and short ones along the front edge.  If your garden bed is an island place your highest perennials in the center.  

Shrub Borders:

Shrub borders, sometimes referred to as the foliage border, do not have to depend on flowers for visual impact.  Choose the right plants and you can achieve a lush, layered look that is attractive year round.  Select shrubs and small trees with contrasting color, shape, and texture.  Many plants are available with variegated foliage, as well as, purple, bronze, red, and lime green.  Place larger leafed varieties next to smaller leafed ones, and combine evergreens with deciduous plants.

As with the mixed border, create depth by blending plant heights, starting with low, ground hugging plants at the front edge, adding height in layers as you move toward the back of the bed.  Avoid a rigid look by placing a few larger specimens into groupings of shorter plants.

Trees and shrubs mentioned above for the mixed bed will also work well in the shrub/foliage border.

Planting your border:

• Planting in spring will give your plants ample time to establish themselves prior to cold weather. 
• Mark out your planting area using rope, hose, or paint.
• Prepare your garden panerai luminor base replica bed.  Click here to learn about “Site Preparation and Proper Planting Techniques”.  
• With plants still in their pots, set them in the desired locations. Space plants based on their mature width. 
• Remove plants from their pots and set in the ground using proper planting techniques. 
• Water well. 
• Cover the area with a 2-3 inch layer of mulch to control weeds and retain moisture.

Maintenance:

For the first growing season, water replica omega seamaster watches weekly, watering more often if it is hot and dry.

                                                                        Happy Planting!