Bed & Borders

Beautiful and varied beds and borders are the backbone of a successful garden and in todays modern plots, theyre no longer rigidly planted and trimmed into neat rows: the twenty-first centurys borders are, instead, planned with an eye to being green, wildlife-friendly, and gorgeously and appealingly dishevelled. Not only that, but they need to offer year-round colour and interest, and be reasonably easy to maintain, too. So whats a busy gardener to do? Its simple. Pick up Beds & Borders, and flick through the mix-and-match split pages. Whatever youre working with sun or shade, a hot or cool color scheme, a bed thats crying out for perennial interest, or a border that you want to attract as much wildlife as possible. A wide-ranging mix of plants divides into strong shrubs and perennials that offer great background and structure; colorful, long-flowering stars for eye-catching effects, and short-but-striking options, many scented, that work best at the front of a border. Match the dots on each entry to ensure a compatible and beguiling mix, and plant up the results: youre guaranteed lovely and harmonious results.