herbaceous border Archives - Gardening by Design

Dividing perennial plants

Herbaceous perennials are those plants where the top growth dies off in the autumn leaving roots and the crown of the plant to survive the winter and throw up new stems the following spring. Many are easily divided to provide extra plants and rejuvenate an old clump where flowering is poor and spring is a good time as the soil...

Are your borders Full or Fighting?

As you would expect, I see a lot of gardens in my work as a roving gardening advisor and this summer I have seen a few borders that have reached that wonderful stage of being full of colour and shape throughout the summer: no bare soil and almost a solid 3D wave of flowers and foliage. But plants are not...

Do you need a prairie sized border for Prairie Planting?

Prairie Planting has been popular for a decade or so now and is a new take on the traditional Herbaceous Border, but with less effort. The aim is to provide flower power throughout the summer and right into autumn and end up with a good number of plants that will dry off but remain upstanding all winter. Cultivated flowers and...