Journal · Planting · 4 min read
How to plant a border that looks good in its first year
A new border does not have to look thin for three summers. Plant sizes, spacing and a few fast fillers make the difference.
The standard advice is to plant small and wait. It works, but it means two or three summers of bare soil and weeds. For most of our clients that is too long, so we plant differently.
Plant bigger
Nine-centimetre pots are cheap, but they take two years to fill out. We plant perennials in 2 and 3 litre pots. They cost two or three times as much each, and they flower in the first summer.
Plant closer
Books give spacings for plants at maturity. We plant about 20% closer, then lift and move a few plants in the second autumn. The border looks full from year one and you get free plants for somewhere else.
Use fast fillers
A few annuals and short-lived perennials fill gaps while the slower plants settle: cosmos, verbena, nepeta and salvia all work on Rutland clay. By year three the permanent planting has closed over and the fillers can go.
Water deeply, not often
A new border needs about 10 litres per square metre, twice a week, through its first summer. Shallow daily watering keeps roots near the surface where they dry out. Our handover includes a one-page watering plan for exactly this reason.
Mulch
A 50 mm layer of compost or bark keeps moisture in, keeps weeds down, and makes a new border look finished on day one.
