Guest Author - Hellie T.

Starting to plant an English Garden can be daunting - what goes where?
and will the plants like the site and thrive there?

Here is an easy way to start planting up an English Garden border.
The site should be sunny and have well-drained soil.

For best results plant each type of plant in groups of threes or fives, depending on how much space you have.

Choose A or B from the list – any combination will go together well.

If you have some trellis or a fence at the back of your border then you can plant
A – Honeysuckle and Jasmine officinale
B - Climbing roses.

For a hardy annual climber try sweet peas - they will cling to other climbers, trellis, bean strings or netting.

Back of the border

A – Osmanthus x Burkwoodii an evergreen scented shrub
B – Mahonia japonica – evergreen shrub with yellow flowers from midwinter to spring.

A - Hollyhocks in pinks or white
B - Sidalcea for pale pink flowers

A - Delphiniums in violet blues or pale blues.
B - Lupins

A - Phlox paniculata - White Admiral, Tenor, Sandringham, or any white or pink variety you can find.
B – Lemon verbena – which has pale mauve flowers in late summer

A – Hesperis Matronalis – a beautiful cottage garden plant with pale pinky white flowers
B – Solomon’s Seal – has long drooping spikes of fragrant flowers in early summer.

In the middle of the border

A - Salvia - blue or pink varieties
B - Wormwood

A - Old English Lavender
B – Nepeta or Catmint

A - Lilium Regale
B – Madonna Lily

A - Michaelmas Daisies
B – Tall Autumn flowering Sedums

A - Cotton Lavender
B - Southern wood

A and B - Smaller shrub roses in whites, pinks or bluey reds.

At the front of the border

A - Dianthus or Pinks in all shades of white pink and red.
B - Thrift or Sea pinks

A - Lamb's tongue or stachys byzantina which has lovely woolly silver grey leaves
B – Lady’s Mantle

A - Munstead Lavender or any short variety.
B - Chives

A - Smaller types of sedums
B – Lily of the Valley

A – Iris reticulate – which has purple flowers in late winter and early spring
B – Snowdrops

A – English Bluebells
B – Hyacinths

If you have a paved path, then plant thymes in the cracks as these will spread and they can stand a certain amount of treading which releases their lovely scents.

Enjoy your garden