Beds & Borders

In terms of garden design, a border can be regarded as both an area for planting and as a three dimensional element and most gardens will include one or more.

When including a bed or border in a garden design, three things should be considered:

1. Shape/size as seen on the ground

This circular border provides height and a focal point to the raised lawn area

This will naturally depend on the size of the garden and the basic types are:

• Edge strip border that uses the boundary fence as a backdrop
• Geometrical border that relates to a formal design
• Island border often set within a lawn
• Peninsular border that runs out from a boundary fence towards the middle of the garden
• Border hard up against house or building

2. Character of the structure

Border edgings are only limited by your imagination

There are many materials that the border can be constructed from or you could decide to form a bed, at the existing garden level.

Either way, It is a good idea to include edgings to prevent the earth falling onto paths or lawns and these can also be a design feature in their own right.

Timber sleepers can provide a natural look and are relatively easy to form

Raised borders can add the third dimension of height to a garden design and can be formed in masonry (brickwork or blockwork), timber sleepers, log rolls or a host of other materials.

3. Type of planting

Your planting scheme will depend on how you want your beds and borders to look throughout the year.
A mixed border in the summer is often packed with colour to add a vibrant and dynamic feature to your garden.

Make sure you keep the taller plants and shrubs to the back and check the mature height of plants.

However, borders should also provide interest through the other seasons of the year so, when choosing plants, give consideration to how the plants will look in each season. Think about spring-flowering trees and autumn flowering shrubs and don’t be afraid to use grasses and ferns in shaded areas.

Think abut using various mulches in-between plants as these hold back  the growth of weeds and rot down to enrich the soil. Pea gravel or rock holds in moisture and is also a design feature

Overall

When you come to design a border you have to decide how you want it to figure in the overall scheme of things.

For example, do you want to break up an area of lawn or put distance between you and the neighbours?

Borders can also create the illusion that your garden is wider or shorter.

Whatever you decide, beds and borders can provide stunning features to a garden but  be sure to think about the maintenance requirements of vast areas of planting.