New-build garden border planting plan
New home with a bare fence and a strip of turf? Start here. New-build gardens often have heavy or packed-down soil, so your plan includes simple soil preparation and plants that cope.
What you'll get in this style
Simple steps to get the soil ready
Climbers to soften a bare fence
Structure first, so it looks established sooner
Plants that suit a new-build garden border
New-build gardens often have heavy, compacted soil and a long bare fence. Your plan might start with tough evergreen shrubs that cope with clay, such as escallonia, Mexican orange blossom and laurustinus, so the border has shape quickly. Reliable perennials such as hardy geraniums, coneflowers, crocosmia and Japanese anemones fill in around them, and climbers such as star jasmine, clematis or honeysuckle soften the fence.
Tips for a new-build garden border
- Dig before you plant. Break up packed-down soil to a spade's depth and mix in plenty of compost.
- Check for rubble. Builders often bury bricks and stones just under the turf, so clear what you find.
- Fix wires to the fence first. Climbers need something to hold on to before they go in.
- Plant in autumn or spring. The soil is warm and moist, so new plants settle in quickly.
A real example
SAMPLE
A 6 metre sunny contemporary border on clay soil, facing south-west.
- 1Elephant's ears
- 2Black lilyturf
- 3Red-edged hebe
- 4Dwarf purple barberry
- 5Siberian iris
- 6Bowles's golden sedge
- 7Fountain grass
- 8Chinese silver grass
- 9Heavenly bamboo
- 10Feather reed grass
- 11Culver's root
- 12Early crocus
- 13Summer snowflake
- 14Grape hyacinth
- 15Star jasmine
- 16Clematis
| Plant | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Elephant's ears | 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 |
| 2. 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 |
| 3. Red-edged hebe | 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 | Not in flower |
| 4. Dwarf purple barberry | 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 |
| 5. Siberian iris | 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 |
| 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. Fountain grass | Not in flower | Not in flower | 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 |
| 8. Chinese silver grass | Not in flower | Not in flower | 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 |
| 9. Heavenly bamboo | 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 | Not in flower |
| 10. 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 |
| 11. 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 |
| 12. Early crocus | 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 | Not in flower |
| 13. Summer snowflake | 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 |
| 14. Grape hyacinth | 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 |
| 15. Star jasmine | 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 |
| 16. Clematis | Not in flower | 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 |
Building work often leaves topsoil thin and the ground underneath packed down. Digging in plenty of compost before planting makes a big difference.
Yes. If your border has a fence or wall behind it, your plan includes climbers to cover it.
Spring and autumn are best. You can plan now and plant when the time is right.
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