Dearest Nut,
You are embarking into a very exciting chapter of gardening , you know.
But, firstly, I want to suggest to you to read Moosey's ideas about creating a border in her Island Border: go to Home, then Garden Tours, then Island Border.
Now. Since I believe that each one of us is unique, I also believe that it is impossible to "enter" thoroughly into your mind and answer your questions in the way you want them. But I can tell you about some of the basic principles about creating a border from the very beginning. And why about a border? But , simply, because a border is a sort of a miniature garden. And creating a border means creating a garden!
1-The tallest plants should be planted at the back of the border and the shortest ones in front of it.
2-You have to know, whether you are going to have a shady or sunny border, or something in the middle, in order to plant either shade-lovers plants or sun-lovers ones.
3-You have to know from the beginning about whether your plants are accid soil lovers, or alkaline soil lovers.
4-Definately, you have to know WHEN your plants bloom, in order to avoid errors, like having ALL plants blooming in early Spring, or in Autumn...
5-You have to dig quite a large hole for each plant, even if at the beginning you plant a tiny baby plant...The best is to know from the beginning about the final size of your plant and create the hole respectively.
5-The plants to be planted, should be planted in holes with a rich fresh soil and the best possible draining conditions.
I also suggest to you a wonderful special edition of Fine Gardening Magazine: Creating Beds and Borders. You are going to have wonderful ideas added to yours, by the talented, experienced gardeners that are the authors of this edition! You can order it in
www.taunton.com/finegardening .
Good luck, dearest friend !!
"..So,perhaps, it is easiest, through awareness of flowers in particular, of their radiant beauty and purity, their vibrant colour, to come to the excellence of the One and be uplifted beyond thought to our divine selves".Dorothy Maclean
