Page 16 - may2022

Tall borders in the garden

I love depth and mystery in the garden. One that’s filled with different
colours and textures, nooks and hidden areas. In Botswana, gardens are quite
often flat with hardly any different levels, and they need tall borders to create
that interest.

Tall annuals, perennials or grasses not only add depth and shape to a garden, when
included among plants of other heights, they can camouflage things you might
want to hide too, like an ugly wall or fence. Shrubs can be predominantly green,
and so adding in colourful borders around them can really elevate your garden into
something spectacular.

When choosing different plants for your garden, try to select a variety based on
flowering time, so there is always something colourful from spring through to
winter. Plan your composition, planting in varied drifts to add intrigue. Know your
plants, and the eventual height and the spread of your plant, and leave space
accordingly, even though it may make the garden look empty at the time.

Plants to consider among the annuals are those that you can find in nurseries or grow
from seed like, Amaranthus, Zinnia, Phlox, Cosmos, California Poppy, Cornflowers,
Sunflowers and Fennel. Perennials that are easy to grow and are readily available are
Cannas, Lion’s tail (Leonurus), Marigolds, Lavender, Gaura, Mexican bush sage,
Dwarf Mexican petunia (Ruellia brittoniana), Agapanthus, Spider lily, Kniphofia,
Salvias, and Dietes.