DESIGNING BORDERS
Garden designer Tabi Jackson Gee lays out six border styles that you can plant in spring to reap the benefits next year
It’s so tempting to go to the nursery on a sunny day and buy a variety of plants that you like the look of, without researching what they will work well with or where they will thrive.
That’s where garden designers come in. We think of gardens as a whole, creating areas that share a common visual language and planting schemes with different environments in mind. Spring is a great time to be planning your borders for next spring and summer. Not only are the bare root plants and trees available to buy now much less expensive, but you will be giving your new border plenty of time to get its roots in, at the same time as sowing seeds and planting bulbs. Plus, as we head into the darker months again, who wouldn’t want to be daydreaming about scented plants, colourful combinations and days whiled away in the great sunny outdoors?
LIGHT SHADE
Perhaps it’s because we can’t see it, but scent is often overlooked when it comes to garden design. However a garden without fragrance isn’t fulfilling its potential. Your outdoor space should delight all your senses, and this border is created to have something flowering throughout the year that offers just that. Most of the plants I’ve chosen are fairly hardy, but the border will do best in a spot that has light shade for at least some of the day, and that doesn’t get waterlogged.
TOP TIPS
Daphne ‘Perfume Princess’, like most daphnes, doesn’t like its roots getting dry – so make sure you keep them well watered during the hotter months.
Put your Hyacinthus orientalis ‘Delft Blue’ near a path so you can enjoy its amazing scent. l Both the daphne and osmanthus will appreciate a good mulch once a year.
Add the sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) into the border in the summer to complement the lavender in both colour and scent.
Don’t forget to cut some of these stems to enjoy indoors, too!
The scented one
Optional extras
OPTIONAL EXTRAS
1. Hyacinth orientalis ‘Delft Blue’ 2. Daphne ‘Perfume Princess’ 3. Lavandula angustifolia 4. Osmanthus delavayi
Lathyrus odoratus ‘Oxford Blue’; Lathyrus odoratus ‘Charlie’s Angel’
SHADY SPOTS
There are no two ways about it, shady gardens or shady areas can be a challenge. So much so that people often write them off as a sad corner, or use them for bicycle storage, bonfires or sheds. But there are many beautiful plants that enjoy shade, even some ever
