Factors to Consider
Selecting Border Plants
Arranging flowers in the border to provide a pleasing picture throughout the summer months is an art. Whole books have been written on this one subject and the homeowner who wishes to achieve truly artistic effects will find it worthwhile to consult these fascinating books on annuals and perennials.
There are a few gardening principles in flower arrangement that always apply. If followed, these principles will enable the amateur to decorate his outdoor living room with assurance that the results will be satisfactory. Regardless of the type of plants used, consider the height to which each plant grows, its habit of growth, whether it is tall growing, medium in height or low growing and whether it is narrow, bushy or spreading.
Foliage, too, is important, for the bulk of the planting should consist of varieties which have good foliage to give the border substance and color during seasons when the various plants are not in bloom. Sequence of bloom or the blooming season of each plant is also an important consideration. The ideal result for in the outdoor living room is to have some flower color showing in portions of the border from early spring until frost.
This seems like a great deal to remember in planning a border. Fortunately, most nursery catalogs give all this information in their product descriptions and there are many charts available which give all of it at a glance so, it really is quite easy after all.
And what does it matter if the initial trial does reveal a few errors? We have the fun of doing it the first time around. It is not difficult to rearrange a few plants in our outdoor living room after the first season.
Planning Versus Trial and Error
We have three choices in our method of procedure in providing the flower decoration for our outdoor living room. One -- we can have a nurseryman or landscape artist plan and plant the border. Two -- we can send in an order for some plants and set them out without any particular arrangement or result in mind, the trial and error method. Three -- we can make a working plan, drawn first on paper and carefully thought out to give us a definite color scheme or program of planting.
In choosing a method, bear in mind that there really is great pleasure and satisfaction in planning it all ourselves, and if we do elect to do it ourselves, it follows without question that the making of a working plan is the most satisfactory method.
Making a Working Plan
When we have determined exactly what space is available for flower borders, we are ready to make a working plan for selection. Our plan up until now will show space set aside for shrubs and other space set aside for flowers.
As it is easier to plan a flower border on a larger scale than our general plan, it will be advisable to reproduce on paper our border areas at some such scale as one-fourth or one-half inch to the foot. This larger scale drawing should show the background of shrubs, hedges, wall or whatever will have an effect on the choice and placing of flowers in the outdoor living room.