In article , Martin Sykes
writes
"Jack" wrote in message
...
I'm still planning the layout of my mixed borders. I have a normal small
suburban garden -- grass surrounded by borders on three sides.
My question is -- is it a good idea to have separate (but adjacent)
borders -- one for autumn and one for summer, in totally different
contrasting colours? Or is it better to incorporate the autumn plants in
with everything else?

Just be careful with the colours but mix the seasons up. In a large garden
you may get away with separate seasonal gardens but a small garden will look
daft if one side is dead and brown while the other is in full flower.
Remember that you probably can't see the whole garden when sitting inside
the house so you'll be kicking yourself if the view from inside is of brown
earth when you know there is a riot of colour just out of sight. You could
try and have a common theme through all the borders and then add some
seasonal interest to slightly raise one area without unbalancing the whole.

I designed our front garden with winter in mind, concentrating on
evergreens, interesting foliage, and berries. Curiously, it has turned
out to be colourful all the year round, with the leaves giving
contrasting shades of grey, green and purple most of the year and the
seasonal flowers - heathers, spring bulbs, magnolia, polygonum, malva
moschata, primulas, nicotiana, crocosmia, skimmia, chaenomeles - giving
brighter highlights.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/