16 garden border ideas for beautiful planting schemes all year-round

Garden borders are the perfect opportunity to add colour and creativity to your garden and make it an inviting oasis all year-round. Your borders can be used to show off a collection of showstopping flowers and foliage, create separate zones and define your pathways. Whether your garden is on the side of meticulously landscaped or wild and free, your garden borders should reflect and work in cohesion with the rest of your garden.

When planting your garden border consider the natural layout of your garden. Look at which parts of your garden get more shade and sun, how sheltered or exposed it is and how wet or dry the area is. This will affect which plants will thrive in your garden and where in the garden they should be planted.

‘There are several reasons why people may want to add borders to their gardens,’ says William Mitchell, owner of Sutton Manor Nursery. ‘Garden borders can be a great way to highlight a specific area of the garden and make the layout more visually appealing. They are also commonly used to separate areas, for instance, by keeping flowers and grass apart. Another reason is to enable privacy within the garden, which includes privacy for birds and wildlife that may be looking for shelter from predators or to breed/nest during the winter months.’

Even the smallest garden borders can create clearly defined 'rooms' and give a clear framework for your garden furniture.