| If you thought that filling your garden with plants and | | | | and there are a number of different types of |
| flowers would create lots of extra work and | | | | flowering plants to choose from. Traditional seasonal |
| attention think again. You can create a stunning low | | | | borders are replanted twice a year with bedding |
| maintenance garden simply by following a few simple | | | | plants to take full advantage of spring and summer |
| rules. | | | | flower colour. They are packed with colour but |
| Beds And Borders | | | | require most work and are best avoided if you have |
| Attractive, well-filled beds and borders bring a garden | | | | limited time. Using more permanent plants instead will |
| to life, but they are potentially time consuming. You | | | | involve less time. |
| can reduce the amount of work involved simply by | | | | Annuals are less work for the gardener as many can |
| choosing low-maintenance plants and keeping them | | | | be sown in-situ. They are invaluable for filling gaps |
| weed-free by mulching, perhaps with a decorative | | | | with bright summer colour. You sow them in late |
| chipped bark, or with chemical controls. Whatever | | | | spring and they flower in summer, and many will |
| planting style you choose avoid using plants that | | | | self-seed for years. Pot marigolds, nasturtiums, |
| grow rampantly, need constant cutting back or | | | | love-in-a-mist, and different types of poppy, including |
| frequent pruning, and any with lots of seeds that | | | | Californian and common field poppies, are all good |
| germinate readily where you don't want them to. | | | | self-seeders. Any seedlings that appear in the wrong |
| Foliage | | | | place can simply be pulled up. When the plants have |
| Interesting foliage often acts as a backdrop to | | | | finished flowering they can be removed. |
| flowers, but it can also be used on its own. The | | | | With many different growth habits, sizes and flower |
| enormous range of greens as well as purples, | | | | shapes and colours, herbaceous perennials bring an |
| bronzes, silvers and striking variegations makes it | | | | extra dimension into the garden. Choose those that |
| entirely possible to create unusual effects using | | | | you can plant and forget, at least for a few years. |
| foliage alone. | | | | They will flower year after year. |
| Evergreens are especially useful because they don't | | | | Shrubs are among the best plants for borders. Most |
| shed leaves like deciduous shrubs do or die down | | | | will grow for years without any attention, but those |
| leaving dead matter to be cleared away as do | | | | that grow too vigorously (such as buddlejas and |
| perennials. However, deciduous shrubs produce some | | | | many roses) or that are tall and difficult to manage |
| stunning autumn effects, which are particularly useful | | | | (such as lilacs) are best avoided. Fortunately, there |
| when the number of flowers is declining in your | | | | are so many well-behaved shrubs, that a low |
| border. | | | | maintenance border is easy to achieve. Potentillas |
| Incorporating Flowers | | | | flower for months, as do hardy fuchsias, though |
| However attractive foliage may be, for most people | | | | these may be partly cut down in cold winter. Mahonia |
| a garden would not be complete without flowers. | | | | and hebe are also reliable. |
| Happily, many will perform well with little attention, | | | | |