I'm still planning the layout of my mixed borders. I have a normal small
suburban garden -- grass surrounded by borders on three sides.

The rear border will be mostly summer perennials and cottage-type annuals in
pink and blue pastel shades. However, the side borders I'd like to be more
for autumn with rudbeckia, crocosmia, echinacea, autumn chrysanths, asters
and such like.

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?

The summer pastel flowers will probably still be in bloom when the autumn
fiery shades come out, and I'm worried that everything will clash and look
awful. The garden is not very large so all the borders are seen together.

Thanks.

"Jack" wrote in message
...

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?

A design rule of thumb is generally to design for one peak season, trying to
design for too many seasons interest results in falling between two stools.
Think of Victorian country house gardens - each area peaked in one season
only: Rose garden, separate from herbaceous borders separate from spring
garden.......

But once you know the rule - break it! Early summer seed heads already in
autumn colours work well with the bold reds, yellows and russets or Autumn
flowering perennials. Think too about the shapes of the remaining seed
heads/leaves from the summer flowering and how thy work with the autumn
flower shapes.

Design in 4-dimensions! Along the border, height of plant, depth from the
front and time!

pk

On Tue, 11 Mar 2003 00:48:27 -0000, "Jack"
wrote:

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?

That is entirely a matter of taste. You are allowed to organize
your garden as *you* prefer it.

Admittedly, hot orange crocosmias threaded by a wandering
geranium 'Ann Folkard' in strong magenta causes a few eyebrows to
rise.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

"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?

The summer pastel flowers will probably still be in bloom when the autumn
fiery shades come out, and I'm worried that everything will clash and look
awful. The garden is not very large so all the borders are seen together.

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.

Martin

"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?

The summer pastel flowers will probably still be in bloom when the autumn
fiery shades come out, and I'm worried that everything will clash and look
awful. The garden is not very large so all the borders are seen together.

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.

Martin

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/

"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...

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.


Excellent point. I've recently started experimenting with riots of late
summer colour but for a long time may garden was predominantly evergreen
shrubs with only limited herbaceous planting plus "sub tropical" bed. It was
amazing how many people remarked how colourful the garden looked in winter -
when in fact is was (virtually) 100% green.

pk

"Rodger Whitlock" wrote in
message ...

Admittedly, hot orange crocosmias threaded by a wandering
geranium 'Ann Folkard' in strong magenta causes a few eyebrows to
rise.

Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

I've just planted my orange crocosmia bulbs...hmm a magenta geranium?...look
out for skyward eyebrows in Surrey in a few months thats if any of the
crocosmia bulbs survive the squirrel onslaught lol

nicky

Excellent point about viewing the garden from inside the house and yes, the
autumn colour would be out of sight from inside the house, and of course
we're indoors more in autumn. I'm glad I asked the group!

Regards,


"Martin Sykes" wrote in message
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.

On Wed, 12 Mar 2003 09:05:30 -0000, "nicky"
wrote:

Rodger Whitlock wrote:


Admittedly, hot orange crocosmias threaded by a wandering
geranium 'Ann Folkard' in strong magenta causes a few eyebrows to
rise.

I've just planted my orange crocosmia bulbs...hmm a magenta geranium?...look
out for skyward eyebrows in Surrey in a few months thats if any of the
crocosmia bulbs survive the squirrel onslaught

Actually, the combination works rather well. It is a counterfoil
to the old adage "pastel gardens for pastel people."

--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada