I debated with myself as to whether this should be called a ‘Designer’ border, since all borders are, to some degree, designed! I have, however, employed some of the designer’s ‘tools’ more blatantly in this border than in the others, so I have persuaded myself that I can give it this somewhat grandiose name.
First, the way that I have divided the area up into segments relies on the premise of the Golden Ratio, which centres on the number 1.618. This number, denoted by the Greek letter ‘phi’ (Φ), comes about if you divide a line into two parts so that the longer part divided by the smaller part is also equal to the whole length divided by the longer part. It has long been held that a rectangle whose sides are in the ratio of 1 to Φ has the most pleasing proportions. In my design I have approximated the figure to 1.6, so all my rectangles have the ratio of 1 to 1.6.
Second, I have noticeably employed a number of the principles of design that we looked at in Chapter 2, especially balance, focalization and repetition. In order to do this I have deliberately chosen a modest palette of colours, and used form and texture quite consciously to create what I hope is a pleasing combination of plants which are brought together in a contemporary way.
The overall effect that I hope to achieve is a ‘tapestry’ of recurring individual plants, which is why I have restricted the number of different varieties to only five. The tapestry is interspersed with blocks of colour (the Lavandula) and punctuated by the standard Rosa which also give height. Running through the ‘tapestry’ there is a unifying thread in the form of Tulipa in the spring and Allium and Verbena later in the season.
The plan is for a space some 4.8 metres by 5 metres; because it is formed of rectangles, however, it could easily be adjusted to fit a smaller or larger space by adding or subtracting rows of rectangles.
Focus and framework
The focal points are centred on the standard roses, Rosa ‘Kew Gardens’, which have small, single white flowers and are covered in lovely red hips in the autumn. The block planting of Lavandula also gives year-round structure to the planting.
Flowers and fillers
Despite not having used many different perennials, the ones that I have chosen provide interest for us and food for bees throughout summer and autumn, with Tulipa starting the season in spring.
Plant families
As always, the Primary families make up the major part of the planting, with representatives from the Secondary and Other families also cropping up here and there.
Geranium sanguineum ‘Elke’ (2 – see key)