How to Choose Border Plants

Borders help seperate the garden like walls in a building.

Designing a colorful border is one of the main pleasures of landscaping a garden. Think about border color only when the rest of the garden has been planned and given its basic spaces and framework. Perennials, annuals and biennials are the plants that bloom in spring and summer, then fade and die down during the winter months provide most of the color for borders.

Things You'll Need

• Garden space
• Border plants

Instructions

1. Designing a colorful border is one of the main pleasures of landscaping a garden. Think about border color only when the rest of the garden has been planned and given its basic spaces and framework. Perennials, annuals and biennials are the plants that bloom in spring and summer, then fade and die down during the winter months. They are the flowers which provide most of the color for borders.

2. Define your borders. The first step is to clearly define borders. In a formal garden, straight, geometric borders look appropriately well ordered and are best ranged in opposite pairs along a pathway, for symmetry.

3. Plan a color scheme. It may seem strange but choosing complementary colors can add to the aesthetic appeal of your garden. When deciding on color for a formal garden the color should be a very restricted color scheme because in a formal garden the pattern of the garden is more important than color. In an informal garden irregular, curved borders and freer and more adventurous planting is more in keeping.

4. Designate paths. Always be generous with paths. If two borders are divided by a path, make sure the path is in proportion to the width of the beds and allows room for flowers to spill over on to it.

5. Choose to plant Perennials. Perennials are non-woody plants, which live for at least two years and sometimes many more. Most of them are herbaceous, dying back in fall to ground level. From roots thus safely protected from frost, they send up new growth in spring. There are varieties of most perennials suitable for almost any garden, and they can provide riotous color or more subtle shades for a long season.

6. Plant for your area. Because there are so many beautiful perennials that could be used as borders beckoning to you from garden centers and nurseries, it is tempting to "buy and try." But, as with all plants, check that the ones you choose are appropriate for your growing conditions - the soil, the aspect and the micro climate should all be favorable, otherwise they will probably die.

7. Look at the foliage. When choosing perennials, remember that in general, the foliage lasts much longer than the flowers. For example, peonies will give a really breathtaking display of flowers for perhaps three weeks in spring, but their foliage is so handsome that they still add 'body' and good looks to the border after the flowers have faded.

8. Plan for next year. After choosing just the right plants for borders sketch or photograph the garden to act as a blueprint for next year. When planting season rolls around you’ll have a clearer idea of what worked and what you need to change.

Tips & Warnings

• Pick up a color wheel from a craft store to help when choosing colors for your border.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish