Designing a border

Thats really good info there oogieboogie. Thank you! I'm finding this getting started on borders soooo difficult to get going. Its just the first steps i'm finding hard just to choose the first couple of shrubs.

 

Tall plants at the back and smaller at the front, and widen the border as they grow

 

Thanks for the feedback everyone
I have got a few winter things in there-hellebore, anemone and cyclamen are hiding.
OogieBoogie, when you say start with plants at least 2-3' tall at the front, do you think my low growing stuff is too low?
Like the idea of something growing behind it. I'll have a look into that.
You overestimate its size though, it's 3x10ft!
If I had space like that whis4ey, I don't think I'd be deliberating so much

 

For me, the front is too low - BUT - that is my view and this is your garden - everyone likes different things. If you're happy with it that is more important than what anyone else says. I think a lot of people make the mistake of planting for what other people will like (especially front gardens!), so long as you plant for yourself you can't get it wrong.

When I'm brave enough I'll put pics of mine up for criticism - and I'll hide behind the sofa LOL!

whis4ey's is lovely isn't it?!

 

Hi Daisy,

Have you thought about sketching a few ideas with colours etc before you take any action?

I find that if I try and sketch or visualise it first it always comes out better than if I just go out there and "play a little jazz" as they say.

HenryW

 

Personally I wouldn't go for shrubs as they can grow very big, I like your blue flowers at the front.

Because you have a relatively small area I think I would stick with just a few types of flower.

Think of colours you like and maybe work with three eg. pink, purple & blue, all whites, blue, yellow & orange or whatever combination you like.
Red and purple go together well too.

And maybe have drifts of about three or four types of flower, taller at the back, medium in the middle and smaller at the front.

Although a lot of my border has fairly tall plants at the front and they look quite good arching over onto the grass.

 

Experience tells me that you need to try lots of different plants in order to help select those which look right. I constantly make mistakes by not staking things or using Poppies for early colour when I know they will take over too much space. My dream is to have lots of floweres which will stay upright at least through their flowering period. Never plant the thugs and I unclude in that the dreaded Acanthus which is immovable once it has spent a couple of years in th border

Love all the suggestions and like the idea of not being too small at the front of the border - am going to try that in my new house.