Herbaceous Borders – How to Break the Rules!

Who says we have to wind down the garden just because we’re growing older? The fact is, most of us have worked jolly hard all our lives, and retirement is the only time we’ll have to create the garden of our dreams! If this sounds like you, you may like to venture into the world of herbaceous borders. These striking ornamental gardens are perfect for retirees because although ‘border’ sounds grand, provided herbaceous borders have a little depth to them (to cater for plants of differing heights), they can be any length you want to make them.

Traditionally, herbaceous borders are gardens stocked with colourful or colour-themed non-woody perennials (soft-stemmed flowering plants which grow for at least 3 years before ‘wearing out’). With well-chosen herbaceous perennials, the colour can start from early spring and last well into autumn, providing picking opportunities as well.

If this sounds appealing – wait – because there’s more! These days, gardeners are taking the herbaceous border to new heights by challenging the definition of these traditional English eye-catchers. Instead of settling for a dream garden for two or three seasons of the year, they’re letting their herbaceous border make a statement year-round. And the way they’re going about it, is exciting!

When colour is at its most scarce (early spring and winter) adventurous herbaceous border gardeners bring interest to their beds with structure, and they do it by adding evergreens into the mix. These are eye-catching plants due to their shape and ‘form.’ They may be frothy grasses such as miniature toe toe (Chionochloa flavicans) and Pennisetum ‘Purple Fountain’,  or elegant ‘uprights’ such as Juncus pallidus (giant rush) and dwarf papyrus (Cyperus prolifer). They can be evergreens with architectural appeal such as spiky blue fescue (Festuca glauca) or strappy silver bush flax (Astelia chathamica). These striking non-deciduous plants can provide colour without so much as a flower – think Imperata cylindrica ‘Red baron’ and our bronze native iris Libertia peregrinans.

These reliable evergreen ‘islands,’ planted in ones, threes (best to avoid’ twos’) or in clusters, anchor the garden when our soft stemmed perennials die back in winter, or disappear altogether until the ground warms up again. However, if we do crave colour when it’s most hard to find, we can step outside the traditional parameters of the herbaceous perennial bed by incorporating spring bulbs into the garden. These are especially important in colder regions where our herbaceous perennials may be slow to re-establish themselves after the long winter chill or when the ground is slow to dry out. Snow drops, crocus, winter aconite, fritillaria, and trillium, all make pocket statements with their bright colour, while Dutch iris and taller narcissi and tulip usher in elegance.

More daring herbaceous border gardeners may even incorporate small flowering shrubs or a compact citrus or two in order to provide interest. However you do it, the point to remember is it’s OK to break or bend the herbaceous border rules, as long as you don’t do it too often. If you do, you’ll end up with a shrubbery or ‘nature strip’ instead of what you were actually hoping for.

If you think an herbaceous border with some evergreen/winter interest appeals, bear in mind these non-traditional borders often look best when colour is kept a little reigned in. Whereas the traditional herbaceous border can be an absolute riot of everything from red and pink to orange, yellow, and purple (and more than get away with it), those beds with evergreen elements often look their best when a restrained tone dictates. Purples, blues, and whites team well with evergreens, as do whites and lemons. That’s not to say you need to stick with these colours; if you love pink, go with it, but keep it in check with companion plantings of mauve, peach, salmon, coral, and white-blooming perennials.

An herbaceous border is the perfect retirement project, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! In fact, because your plants are perennial, there’s less maintenance involved in the upkeep. So, have fun, and good luck with your dreams!