Rethinking the BORDER

摘要

Break free of the traditional way of layering plants by relying on this relaxed approach. Whether you've been lucky enough to visit the great estates of England or have gazed longingly at images in British gardening magazines, chances are you've lusted for their over-the-top mixed perennial borders. Densely planted displays of delphiniums and day-lilies are indeed the gold standard of a traditional English border. The conventionally layered planting plans inspired by these overpopulated English borders bring to mind an orderly, stair-step installation, with taller specimens at the back of the border, medium-size plants in front of them, and ground covers or small perennials as the lowest layer in front. This method often reads as linear or two-dimensional. I call it the "church-choir motif" because it does not allow anything in the front rows to block your view of what is in the back rows.