Beef Up Your Borders


Biennials: These are not as instant as annuals, because as the name suggests, they are sown one year and flower the next. Examples include Campanula medium (Canterbury Bells), Erysimum cheiri (wallflower), Digitalis purpurea (foxglove), Lunaria annua (honesty), Viola x wittrockiana (pansy) and Dianthus barbatus (sweet william).

Foliage and shrubs: The mature garden contains plenty of foliage to act as a background for flowering plants, but this is usally lacking in the newly-planted border. However, there are short-term plants which can redress this situation, the majority of which are half-hardy shrubs, which may be grown from seed or cuttings. Examples include Kochia scoparia (summer cypress), Ricinus communis (castor oil plant) and Senecio maritimus.

Bulbs, corms and tubers: Some of these are very suitable short term plants as they are easy to dig up and move when they become redundant. Besides the usual spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips, the summer-flowering bulbs are usual to add interest to a young border. These include lilies, cannas and bulbous irises (such as Iris xiphium).

The copyright of the article Beef Up Your Borders in English Country Gardening is owned by Jane Hollis. Permission to republish Beef Up Your Borders in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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