Gardens need structure to give them interest, and to be pleasant to look at.                                                                  

 Whether you are planning on a very formal garden with a central focal point, or an informal english garden that is rather wild in nature and the mixture of plants, adding some type of border gives the eye a place to start and end.            



You can use hardscape materials such as a wall or fencing, or you can use border plants.  I feel that if you choose to use border plants, something that is green year round is the correct selection.  It will give your garden structure in all seasons.  Be sure to select a plant that will remain low and uniform in appearance to give it the neat look you are after.

Setting a color scheme

I have just finished planting my annuals for the season.
Here in the lower South, we are lucky enough to be able to garden all year round.  So I will fill in with annuals for the upcoming season. 

For summer and fall, I have decided on a pallet of limes and hot pinks.  I love the contrast of the two colors.  I have alot of old oak trees on my property which gives me plenty of shade.  I think that using whites with different shades of greens, taking into consideration bloom time and leaf shapes makes for a really interesting garden  scene.

In all of my perenniel beds, I have shades of pinks, reds, yellows and greens.  My greens vary from the blue tones of hostas and lambsears, to deep greens.  So for this season, I have selected impatients, petunias, coleus, and sweet alyssum to spread among the others.  This will give me a continuous pop of color where it is needed, and mix in with the perenniels that will come into bloom at various times of the season.