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