Iris spirit

A heavenly flower border is a work of art, a living composition in which colour themes are finely balanced to wax and wane through the seasons

Try our pick of the most beautiful plants you can buy now

Use a palette of palest pastels for this jostling, flower-filled midsummer scheme, says Helen Billiald

The fluttering flowers of Siberian irises are a magical sight in early summer, like a flight of butterflies on the wing, their elegant blooms providing colour and interest in that tricky gap between t

Colour-drench your plot all summer using a shrewd selection of splashy bedding plants

For many gardeners, midsummer is the highlight of the year when bountiful borders brim with blowsy blooms jostling for space. But creating planting palettes that are both pleasing to the eye and feel