Brilliant border maintenance – what to do now for next summer’s success

14.10.2023 - 10:05 / themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk / Alexandra Campbell

Garden border maintenance in both autumn and spring is mainly about the plants.

Summer and early autumn is for dead-heading. Weeding goes on all year round if you have a mild climate. Watering is for dry spells.

But in both autumn and spring, it’s time to plant new plants, move plants that are in the wrong place and divide overgrown perennials.

So I visited Steve Edney and Louise Dowle at their No Name Nursery to find out how they manage their 100ft herbaceous border at this time of year.  (You can find out how they created it in What You Need to Know to Create a Stunning Perennial Border.)

Steve and Lou trial plants in this border to see how they would look together in your border. The nursery isn’t open for visitors, but you can find them at plant fairs around the South East of the UK. They also offer garden consultancy.

Should you clear the border in autumn or spring?

Clearing borders in autumn used to be seen as an essential part of border maintenance. But Steve and Louise don’t clear their borders until spring.

They say there are three reasons for this. Firstly, wildlife – insects, invertebrates, small mammals and birds – will continue to enjoy seedheads and berries, and they’ll shelter amongst the foliage. ‘If you stop and listen in winter, you can hear the life rustling in the border,’ says Lou.

Secondly, many of the grasses and seedheads look beautiful in mist or frost, so you can continue to enjoy your border.

And thirdly, it’s easier! The weather or wildlife will ‘do a lot of the work for you’ if you leave it.

If you clear away foliage in autumn, some of it will still be green, says Steve. There will be lots of it and it’ll be hard to put through the shredder. You’ll have a lot of waste disposal to deal with.

But by