Sunny border planting plan
Lots of sun is good news: it opens up the widest choice of flowers. We'll plan a border that's full of colour from spring to autumn, with the right plants at the back, in the middle and at the front.
What you'll get in this style
Plants that suit a sunny border
A sunny border gives you the widest choice of any spot in the garden. Depending on your soil and the look you want, your plan might include evergreen shrubs such as hebe, rock rose and rosemary for shape all year; long-flowering perennials such as catmint, hardy geranium, scabious, tickseed and Mexican fleabane; late colour from Russian sage, ice plant and tall verbena; and grasses such as golden oats or switch grass for movement in autumn and winter. Spring bulbs such as tulips and ornamental onions fill the gaps before the summer flowers take over.
Tips for a sunny border
- Count the hours. A border with 6 or more hours of direct sun in summer counts as full sun. Between 3 and 6 hours is part shade.
- Check how fast it dries. South-facing borders against a fence or wall dry out quickly, so we choose plants that cope with that.
- Plant in groups. Three or five of the same plant together looks better than lots of single plants dotted about.
- Water new plants in their first summer. Once settled, most of the plants we choose for sun need much less watering.
A real example
A 4 metre sunny border on loam soil, facing south.
- 1Wall bellflower
- 2Drumstick primula
- 3Hardy geranium
- 4Crocosmia
- 5Golf ball pittosporum
- 6Culver's root
- 7Japanese anemone
- 8Tall verbena
- 9Grape hyacinth
- 10Early crocus
- 11Summer snowflake
- 12Climbing rose
| Plant | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Wall bellflower | 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 |
| 2. Drumstick primula | Not in flower | Not in flower | 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. Hardy geranium | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | In flower | In flower | In flower | In flower | In flower | Not in flower | Not in flower |
| 4. Crocosmia | 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 |
| 5. Golf ball pittosporum | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not in flower | Not 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 |
| 6. 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 |
| 7. Japanese anemone | 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. Tall verbena | 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 |
| 9. 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 |
| 10. 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 |
| 11. 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 |
| 12. Climbing rose | 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 | Not in flower |
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