Low-maintenance border planting plan
Plants that look after themselves: long-lived shrubs, tough perennials and grasses, with just a few simple jobs a year.
What you'll get in this style
Fussy plants left out
A short, simple care calendar
Evergreens for year-round shape
Plants that suit a low-maintenance border
A low-maintenance plan sticks to plants we rate as low upkeep: long-lived shrubs such as hebe, Christmas box, laurustinus and pittosporum; tough perennials such as hardy geraniums, elephant's ears, lady's mantle and lilyturf; and grasses that only need a cut back once a year. Fussy plants that need regular staking, spraying or dividing are left out, and your care calendar keeps the jobs to a short list.
Tips for a low-maintenance border
- Mulch every spring. A layer of compost or bark keeps weeds down and moisture in, and saves hours of weeding.
- Plant closely enough to cover the soil. Bare soil grows weeds. Your plan gives quantities that fill the space in two or three years.
- Choose fewer, bigger groups. Large drifts of a few plants are easier to look after than lots of different ones.
- Water in the first summer. After that, a well-chosen border looks after itself most of the year.
A real example
SAMPLE
A 5 metre part-shade contemporary border on clay soil, facing east.
- 1Black lilyturf
- 2Japanese sedge
- 3Bugle
- 4Variegated euonymus
- 5Skimmia
- 6Bowles's golden sedge
- 7Daylily
- 8Culver's root
- 9Feather reed grass
- 10Bistort
- 11Christmas box
- 12Mountain clematis
| Plant | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Black lilyturf | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | In flower | In flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower |
| 2. Japanese sedge | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | In flower | In flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower |
| 3. Bugle | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | In flower | In flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower |
| 4. Variegated euonymus | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | In flower | In flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower |
| 5. Skimmia | Not in flower | Not in flower | In flower | In flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower |
| 6. Bowles's golden sedge | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | In flower | In flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower |
| 7. Daylily | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | In flower | In flower | In flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower |
| 8. Culver's root | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | In flower | In flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower |
| 9. Feather reed grass | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | In flower | In flower | In flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower |
| 10. Bistort | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | In flower | In flower | In flower | In flower | Not in flower | Not in flower |
| 11. Christmas box | In flower | In flower | In flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | In flower |
| 12. Mountain clematis | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | In flower | In flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower |
Not quite, but a well-chosen border needs only a few jobs a year: a spring cut back, a mulch and some watering in the first summer.
No. We still plan for flowers from spring to autumn, with grasses and evergreens for winter.
Spreading a layer of compost or bark over the soil. It keeps weeds down and moisture in, and saves you work.
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