Forum home› Garden design
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Garden Border Width

geth11geth11 Posts: 5
in Garden design
Hi,

I'm a novice gardener and so would be very grateful of any advice on the recommended width of a border. 

I'd like to create a border parallel to the garden fence. I've laid out 3 wooden posts on the ground which mark out the proposed width of the border which is set at 5ft (1.5m) as you can see in the pictures. However, my lawn is quite narrow and so I'd be grateful of any advice on whether you think this proposed width is too wide given how narrow my lawn is? I'll be planting a mixture of small shrubs, one or two small trees, climbers, perennials and herbaceous plants. 

Thanks,
Geth


«1

Posts

  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    It's sometimes difficult to judge from a photo but that looks okay to me. Are you going for straight lines or curves ? Your dog looks well impressed anyway !  :)
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited May 2019
    1.5 m is really the minimum you can get away with for a mixed herbaceous planting with a few small trees and shrubs.

    However I can see that a straight border is going to make your lawn look even more long and narrow than it is. 

    A generous sweeping curve ..maybe 2m or more wide near your paving and wide at the far end but narrowing in the middle     (but no narrower than 1m) 
    and then sweeping out again at the far end, giving an almost half-moon shape to the lawn, will make the whole garden look wider and more spacious. 

    By the way, your grass looks very good for this time of year 👍 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • geth11geth11 Posts: 5
    Thanks for help guys. I was intending on doing a straight border. I'm not sure if I want to go for a curved border with 2m at the widest part as I'm not too keen on losing too much of the lawn, however, you have given something to think about. 
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    I think you definitely need some sort of curve - even if it's just at the top right.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    I'd say a border should be about 1 to 1.5 times as wide as the fence is high. eg if the fence is 6ft, the border should be between 6 and 9 feet wide. Otherwise it can look "top heavy".
    Just my opinion and others are free to disagree.
    Devon.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Or ... what about two curved borders, perhaps with an arch linking the two, at this end of the garden rather than a border along the fence?

    That’d give you lots of lawn area, plus your beds would get more sunlight and probably not be in a rain shadow from the fence either. 

    Or even the same idea but at the the far end ... screening your ‘utility area’. 

    Just a thought ... it’s your garden 😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    I don't disagree with Hostafan1's width as far as balance is concerned, but in a fairly narrow garden it could be too much to lose.  I agree it needs to be over a metre wide, and I'm actually widening part of mine at the moment.  Any narrower and plants tend to swamp each other rather than giving height and depth.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    KT53 said:
    I don't disagree with Hostafan1's width as far as balance is concerned, but in a fairly narrow garden it could be too much to lose.  I agree it needs to be over a metre wide, and I'm actually widening part of mine at the moment.  Any narrower and plants tend to swamp each other rather than giving height and depth.
    Sorry, I should have said " if space allows" Obviously not applicable if one has a very narrow garden with 6ft fences.
    Devon.
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Which direction does the border face?
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    The thing about borders is you can always widen them if you find the plants look a bit cramped and/or you want to add more. I think 1.5m is fine, but would probably push it out a bit to 1.8m, the extra 30cm is another row of smaller perennials/edging plants.

    Long straight borders do tend to visually lengthen/narrow a garden, but if you don’t fancy curves, and not everyone does, how about a broken L shaped border with the short (and possibly fatter) bit of the L in front of the washing whirlygig, with a gap left to access the gravelled area with paving stones?

    Have you any thoughts of what to do with the smaller section to the rear? With plants in front of the whirlygig, the bit behind it becomes a semi-hidden garden room that would make a nice secluded space or even a small vegetable garden, perhaps?
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
Sign In or Register to comment.