Garden? Check. An empty border? Check. Now what? Budding gardeners (pun intended) might find this process difficult, especially if you’ve never gardened a day in your life before. But you have the space, and it needs some life, so let’s get started!

Designing a border is easier than you might think. Sure, it feels intimidating at first, but once we break it down and have put some thought into the process, growing a border display will be just the tip of the gardening iceberg.

Prep the area

If you already have an existing border to work with, then that’s half the battle won. Congrats! However, if you’re thinking of growing plants against a hedge, wall, or existing fence, then your soil might be a bit harder to work with.

If you’re less excited of reworking existing soil, then creating a raised flower bed is a great option for those good with a hammer (or recruiting someone with such skills!). Not only is it convenient and lets you start soil from scratch, but it also looks fantastic and is very on-trend.

Consider your hurdles

Starting any new project comes with its own set of pain points. Everyone’s garden is different, whether it be in size, shape, or even design, which can sometimes make starting from scratch a bigger job than first expected.

Next, you want to come up with a plan. How big do you want your flower bed to be? How long should it be? Do you want it straight, or curved? These are things you need to think about before getting started. Prep the soil by tilling it or sifting through it with a fork, getting rid of any large stones and weeds as you go. Add some excellent quality soil if necessary and mix it in with your fork.

Visualise Your Concept

Like with any project, it’s helpful to visualise your plan before putting it into place. This is a great time to design your flowerbed’s shape, width, length, etc. This is a perfect segue into choosing and planning your display for your first set of plants to buy!

Pick your Plants

To create a varied display, people often vary the heights of their plants from the shortest at the border to the biggest at the back. This allows you to see the most of your pretty flowers, soaking up all their beauty when they appear throughout each season.

Plants like bedding or annuals are often placed at the front. Anything at ground height or mat-forming is perfect for the front of the border, like geraniums or dianthus. Mid and back tiers of borders can be filled with taller plants, which will depend on your theme. For example, if your theme or aesthetic is cottage-style then you would fill them with Delphiniums, Gladioli or Dahlias.


Need inspiration? Our designer range helps you create a border design at the click of a button, whether it be filled with plants for pollinators, full of statement pieces, or simply low maintenance. Shop our full range of Designer Collections online today to find out more.