Secret garden – Somerset

I have just spent the last two days re-designing a neglected herbaceous border which does not offer a very long season of interest.  I have used my survey drawing of the border to consider which plants I will re-use, everything will have to be dug up, the bed checked for perennial weeds, organic matter added and those plants making the grade, divided and replanted in smaller groups. 

The bed has been designed to be relatively low maintenance (herbaceous borders are never low maintenance!) and to offer a long season of interest using colour (flowers and foliage), shape (flowers, foliage, plant), I have drawn on some of my favourite plants such as Penstemon ‘Garnet’, Geranium ‘Rozanne’, Tulbaghia violacea and Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’.  The result is quite a complex technical drawing with support notes describing the plants and their care.