Border redesign - what makes a pleasing border
Houser and Wirth, Somerset - designed by Piet Oudolf
Identifying What’s Missing
A few years ago, I took on the maintenance of a large garden with well-established borders. While the planting had a clear colour palette and a sense of rhythm, something always felt incomplete. Despite repeated attempts to refine the planting, I struggled to pinpoint why the design lacked something. It wasn’t until I read Nigel Dunnett’s book Naturalistic Planting Design: The Essential Guide that I realized what was missing: a unifying element that is tying everything together visually or style wise. Here he categorizes plants based on their function within a planting and makes the point that all of those functions together with other elements described are needed to make a planting work. This is not the first time I have come across this concept but it really hit home reading this book in particular.
The Four Key Planting Categories
Hatches show groundcover planting on Planting Plan
The first category to consider when designing a planting scheme is the anchor plants—those that provide a framework for the border. These can be subdivided into three types: structural forms, matrix structures, and plants that evoke a particular atmosphere. What they share is their presence throughout most of the year, helping to unify the design.
The second category consists of seasonal plants, which do not contribute significantly to the structure but provide bursts of interest throughout the year. This group includes ephemerals and geophytes such as tulips and alliums. In my experience, most herbaceous borders rely heavily on this category, often without sufficient structural support.
The third group to consider is groundcover plants, which need to be shade-tolerant and often originate from woodland environments. These plants typically flower early in the season before the tree canopy would fully develop in their natural setting, providing interest when most herbaceous perennials are only just emerging. Additionally, groundcovers can help suppress weeds by colonizing bare soil, preventing unwanted plants from taking root.
Finally, filler plants play a crucial role. These are often short-lived perennials but can also include annuals and biennials. They provide interest in the early stages of planting establishment and tend to self-seed, adding a sense of spontaneity and dynamism. Furthermore, filler plants help outcompete weeds by quickly occupying disturbed spaces, making them both aesthetically and functionally valuable.
Planting focused on Seasonal Blooms
Applying This Approach to the Redesign
Returning to the garden in question, I could see that the existing border had some structural elements—mainly scattered shrubs, including roses and small topiary—but they were placed without a clear relationship to the surrounding planting. As a result, they failed to create a sense of cohesion or guide the viewer’s experience of the space.
To address this, I first introduced additional structural plants—a mix of well-placed shrubs and herbaceous perennials—to create stronger visual ties within the planting. Next, I refined the seasonal plants, reducing variety and grouping them in larger clusters for a more impactful and cohesive display. Groundcover and filler plants were then incorporated in strategic areas to suppress weeds and add layers of seasonal interest.
This strategy worked well, allowing the planting to feel more natural and immersive while still retaining a refined and designed appearance. The result was a border that not only looked more cohesive but also functioned more efficiently, requiring less maintenance and offering interest throughout the year.
Beyond Function – Capturing the Essence of Nature
Understanding the functional elements of plantings is essential, but there is another layer that elevates a border from well-designed to truly beautiful. This is where the concept of being inspired by nature comes into play—something I have been trying to grasp for some time. What makes certain natural landscapes so captivating, and how can we translate that experience into our gardens?
Nigel Dunnett’s work beautifully bridges this gap. He examines how we can observe natural scenes and distill their beauty into designed plantings. One key principle he discusses is having only three focal plants in bloom at any given time, with the rest of the planting fading into the background. This approach ensures a sense of calm and balance, allowing the eye to rest and appreciate the subtle interplay between different elements.
The Importance of Immersion
Another crucial aspect Dunnett highlights is the feeling of immersion—the idea that a planting should surround and engage us, creating an experience of being enveloped by nature. This is not just about aesthetics but about how we interact with and move through the space. The goal is to foster a deeper connection between people and plants, making the garden feel like a seamless extension of the natural world.
By integrating these principles into border design, we can create plantings that are not only visually appealing but also evoke a sense of place, tranquility, and connection to nature.
