My client (a self-confessed plantaholic, guilty of many random purchases at his local nursery!) regularly opens his garden to the public as part of the National Gardens Scheme annual fundraiser, but wanted to revamp and inject more colour and energy into his sizeable borders.

Working with the client’s gardener, we edited and transplanted some of the old, overgrown plantings, rejuvenating the borders with a more dynamic, but also sustainable, selection of plants – so that the plants would be in flower during a specific visiting period, but also create interest throughout the rest of the year.

As an example, two deep herbaceous borders had structural yews and a few successful shrubs in place but were lacking a sense of unity created by repeating forms and colours, as well as energy from contrasting foliage.  We added Cercis (Forest Pansy) and Sedums for darker foliage to break up the green; Salvias and Perovskias for more upright drama; and zingy Seslaria grass to introduce movement.