Planting an island bed is quite a challenge as it will be viewed from many angles, unlike a traditional border which is only viewed from the front. Obviously it makes sense to have taller plants in the middle of the bed and lower ones on the edges, but do not stick rigidly to this principle or the result might be rather regimented. Tall airy plants such as Verbena bonariensis and Stipa gigantea (giant oat grass) can be placed near the edge of the bed to create variety whilst still allowing the plants behind to be seen.
I have recently created an island bed in my own garden, which has helped divide up the garden and stop it all being seen in one glance. The bed echoes the curve of the border and breaks the view from the patio to the rest of the garden. The curving grass path between the island bed and the border seems to call out asking you to explore the garden.
The first step in creating the island bed was to mark out the shape. I used pegs, but you could use a hose pipe instead. The turf was then carefully removed and plentiful amounts of compost and well-rotted manure was added. The bed was then left unplanted for several months to allow any weeds to raise their heads so they could be removed before planting. The backbone of the bed consists of shrubs such as the evergreen Arbutus unedo (Killarney strawberry tree), Cornus sanguinea 'Midwinter Fire' (dogwood) and Osmanthus delayavi, plus ornamental grasses such as Miscanthus 'Undine'. To add immediate bulk and screening to the bed I added tall herbaceous plants such as lupins and Anthemis 'EC Buxton'. The bed was planted in spring 2000 and the picture (top left) shows it in November 2001.
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