A well-designed border is one of the most rewarding elements of any garden, but for many gardeners, borders are also a source of frustration. The difference between a border that delights and one that disappoints almost always comes down to design.
So how do you approach designing a border that is beautiful, structured, and genuinely suited to your garden and climate?
Why Planting Design Matters
The Heart of the Garden
A border is simply a defined area of planting, often used to edge a garden or separate different features from one another e.g. a lawn from a boundary hedge or fence. A garden border allows you to create attractive displays with different combinations of plants and helps to add colour and year-round interest to a garden. Planted beds or borders are often the most visible and personal element of a garden and really ‘make’ an outdoor space garden. Plants soften hard landscaping such as paths, patios and walls and add a third living dimension to your garden which changes throughout the year and the day.
A Long-Term Commitment
Creating a border from scratch can seem daunting, but with a little planning it’s easy to create one that looks great, grows well and suits your setting and personal taste. Getting the planting design right from the outset saves considerable time, money, and disappointment further down the line. Planning a border can be done at any time of year; however planting is best done in spring or autumn so that plants can establish before the peak season in summer.
Structure Versus Spontaneity
It’s important to consider structural plants first, such as trees and shrubs and then other layers of planting such as perennials and ground cover plants afterwards. Achieving that balance is where design expertise makes the greatest difference.
Climate Is Everything
Aberdeenshire’s cool, drier climate (compared to the West Coast of Scotland) and often exposed conditions mean that plant choice is not simply a matter of taste. Plants have to be hardy (ideally H5 or above). An H5 hardiness rating indicates a plant can withstand severe UK winters, surviving temperatures between -15°C and -10°C.
The Designer’s Framework: 7 Key Principles for Border Design
1. Start With Structure
It’s tempting to choose the ‘pretty’ plants with flower colour first when designing a border. However you should choose trees and shrubs first as they are the structural backbone of your border. In Aberdeenshire, where winters are long and dark, a well-structured border with strong evergreen bones will look considered and purposeful even in the bleakest months. Perennials and ground cover plants such as bulbs should be chosen afterwards and be designed to fit in around your chosen trees and shrubs
2. Design in Layers
A successful border works in layers. This creates depth and prevents the border from looking flat and 2 dimensional. There are 4 types of planting – trees, shrubs, perennials and ground cover plants – which should ALL ideally be incorporated into your borders. Use a layered approach to designing borders so that every plant is visible from your main viewing point of that particular border:-
- Specials or Focal points (Back of border): Tall trees and large shrubs.
- Skeletons or The Backbone (Back – Mid-height): Structural evergreen shrubs which provide all year round interest.
- Decoratives or Seasonal Form (Mid-height): These plants which could be shrubs or perennials offer prominent seasonal interest such as large flowers or striking autumn colours.
- Pretties or Softening Plants (Mid-height): This layer consists of softer perennials, ornamental grasses, and plants chosen specifically for delicate textures or interesting foliage. They can be woven between the skeleton layers to soften the planting design.
- Infills or Ground Cover (Front of Border): The lowest and final layer fills any remaining gaps. It includes low-growing annuals, bulbs, and opportunistic self-seeding flowers that give the finishing touch to a border.
3. Plan large borders
In order to have layered planting it’s important that you have generous sized borders. For example, if you have a 2 metre high fence and you want to plant a border in front of it, then a 1 metre wide border will look out of place and not to scale. That new border should be at least 2 metres wide at some point in depth. Narrow borders around the edge of a garden look too small in scale and are not impactful in your outdoor space.
4. Think ratios
In the UK, the ideal balance for a garden design is widely considered to be 70% soft landscaping (i.e. plants, lawns, borders) to 30% hard landscaping (patios, decking, paths). This ratio prevents the space from feeling cold and sterile or overgrown and chaotic. This ratio is ideal for a family/suburban style garden. In urban gardens where space is more limited the ratio is closer to 60% hard landscaping and 40% soft landscaping. Here patios and paths would create zones for dining and entertaining, while vertical planting such as climbers can be used to soften boundaries.
5. Choose a Colour Palette and Stick to It
One of the most common mistakes in border design is selecting plants in too many colours without a unifying palette. For smaller borders it’s best to stick to a limited palette (e.g., 2-3 harmonious colours) to avoid a border looking chaotic. For larger borders you can choose bolder colour combinations but it’s best to use green or silver foliage so that the eye can rest between the bright colour palette of the flowers.
6. Plan for Seasonality
A great border has something of interest in every season, not just a spectacular peak in midsummer followed by months of emptiness. Aim for seasonal succession planting so the border still has interest in the winter months:-
- Spring: Plant bulbs in autumn.
- Summer: Herbaceous perennials and annuals.
- Autumn: Perennials, shrubs and trees with beautiful autumn foliage and berries.
- Winter: Ornamental grasses, seedheads and evergreen shrubs.
7. Repeat and Rhythm
Repeating the same plant or colour or form at intervals throughout a border creates a sense of rhythm and unity that ties the whole composition together. Avoid straight lines when setting out plants (triangles and drifts are ideal). Plant in odd numbers in groups of 3s or 5s for an irregular, natural look. Repeat clusters or specific plant types down the length of the border to create flow and unity to make the planting cohesive.
Common Border Design Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
Not Assessing your Conditions: Designing beautiful garden borders in Aberdeenshire relies on careful plant selection based on your soil and sunlight as well as considering layered planting and year-round interest. Identify if your soil is clay, sand, or loam, and note whether your border faces North, South, East, or West. This dictates plant choice and the long term success of your garden border.
Not Measuring your Border: Whatever the size of your planned border, you will need to calculate its area. Use a long tape measure on a reel or pace out the measurements to find out the length and width of your border and then draw that to scale on a large sheet of graph paper. Knowing how many square metres your new border will be allows you to calculate the number of plants you need to fill it and also the amount of top soil or compost you will need to prepare the border before planting. As a general guide, aim for five herbaceous perennials, or three small shrubs, or one large shrub per square metre.
Planting Too Close Together: Always plant to the eventual mature spread and height of each plant, not its size at time of purchase.
Ignoring Soil Preparation: Before planting, invest time in improving your soil with organic matter. Clear all weeds and work in a generous layer (at least 5cm) of organic matter or well-rotted manure. In Aberdeenshire, where soils are variable depending on your site, good preparation makes a significant difference to how quickly and strongly plants establish.
Buying on Impulse: Always shop from a planting list prepared in advance, with your colour palette, layering structure, and seasonal spread already mapped out.
Neglecting Maintenance Requirements: Different plants demand very different levels of attention. Each plant should be researched fully to see the level of maintenance required long term.
Forgetting Foliage, Berries and Seedheads: Flowers come and go, but leaves, berries and seedheads can also add interest to your borders at different times of year.
Planting for Aberdeenshire Borders
Designing a border in Aberdeenshire requires a plant palette chosen with real respect for the local climate. The growing season is shorter than further south, winters are harsh, and exposure to wind is a genuine challenge in many parts of the region. So plants need to be resilient and hardy to cope with different conditions.
For structural backbone, consider evergreen shrubs such as Mahonia, Skimmia or Azalea alongside ornamental grasses such as Calamagrostis and Hakonechloa.
Avoid plants that require shelter or warmth beyond what Aberdeenshire reliably offers throughout the year. Many Mediterranean plants, for example Lavender, will sulk or struggle through a north-east Scottish winter, however appealing they look in a glossy gardening magazine.
How Gerbera Designs Approaches Border Design
- A planting plan tailored to your garden and taste
- Seasonal interest – not just flowers in summer!
- Plant knowledge for the Aberdeenshire climate
- Local sourcing and supply of plants
- Ongoing guidance and review after your garden has been designed and planted
Ready to Bring the Inspiration to Life in Your Own Garden?
Stop the guesswork and start designing your borders with confidence. Book a consultation with Gerbera Designs for a tailored planting plan that will bring your Aberdeenshire border to life in every season.
