Creating a planting plan from scratch part 2: Woody shrubs & climbers

Creating a Planting Plan from Scratch Part 2: Woody Shrubs & Climbers

Having made your plant lists, it's time to start placing plants. Start with the woody plants – trees, shrubs and climbers – as these persist year on year and have the biggest structural presence.

Placing Trees

• Start by establishing where you want your tree(s) or largest shrubs.
• Trees add height to a border. In a sunny border they also create pools of shade, which allows you to vary the palette of plants and the mood.
• Work through your list of potentially suitable trees. Think about:
• scale – size of the border, height of the wall behind
• what each plant might give to that place
• what suits the mood and will give multiple seasons of interest. E.g. a damson was perfect for the Purple Border – spring blossom followed by purple fruits, and the domestic feel I wanted
• the height and spread of that tree – how big will it get?
• Plot it somewhere that will give enough room in all directions and draw it on as a circle.

Adding the Shrubs

• Do the same for any other woody plants.
• Think about the direction of the light and how that influences placement – I want the sun to shine through the Cotinus from certain angles, so place them where this can happen.
• Consider making the height of your planting go up and down in waves both left to right and front to back, with eddies or swirls of plants of different heights. Shrubs can provide anchor points for the planting to swirl around.
• Shrubs work well in threes – offset them and don't put them too close to the front.
• It's ok to nudge a shrub slightly under a tree to link them in.
• If you're planning a long border broken down into several sections to fit on the plans – place all the shrubs first rather than section by section.

Adding Climbers

Once shrubs are placed, think about climbers to go along the back wall or fence, if you have one, and potentially in structures within the bed. If you have a long wall, you can fit in several climbers. When choosing, think about:

• when the trees and shrubs provide interest – you may want the climbers to provide interest at a different time
• when you want the border to peak and the climbers to peak
• how to use climbers to add succession
• height and spread compared to the wall space you have available.

An Example

• I chose an early-flowering Clematis macropetala to flower in March and April when there isn't much happening in the border to restrict the view to the wall.
• I put the summer-flowering rose 'Russelliana' further down for a sunnier spot.
• In between those I put a late-summer-flowering clematis – 'Purpurea Plena Elegans' – which will occupy the space where the rose had previously flowered.
• In the shade behind the damson tree I put Akebia longeracemosa, which tolerates shade and is next to a gateway to allow people to interact with the intricately detailed flowers.

Creating Impact and Succession

• I want several peaks and continuous interest in between.
• You can do this by ensuring there are at least three different plants flowering at any one time – three working together is the minimum you need to make an impact.
• Repeat these plants at several points down the border or woven throughout, as we've done with Allium 'Purple Rain'.
• As those three plants fade, have another set of three ready to take over.

Plant Directory

Akebia longeracemosa

Long-racemed akebia

Hardy semi-evergreen climber

Lardizabalaceae

Allium 'Purple Rain'

Allium 'Purple Rain'

Hardy bulbous perennial

Amaryllidaceae

Buddleja species and cultivars

Butterfly bushes

Hardy deciduous shrubs

Scrophulariaceae

Calycanthus species and cultivars

Sweetshrubs

Hardy deciduous shrubs

Calycanthaceae

Clematis macropetala

Downy clematis

Hardy deciduous climber

Ranunculaceae

Clematis 'Purpurea Plena Elegans'

Clematis 'Purpurea Plena Elegans'

Hardy deciduous climber

Ranunculaceae

Cotinus species and cultivars

Smoke bushes

Hardy deciduous shrubs or small trees

Anacardiaceae

Malus × floribunda

Japanese crab apple

Hardy deciduous tree

Rosaceae

Prunus × blireana

Blireana plum

Hardy deciduous small tree or large shrub

Rosaceae

Prunus institia

Damson

Hardy deciduous tree

Rosaceae

Rosa 'Russelliana'

Rose 'Russelliana'

Hardy deciduous climber

Rosaceae

Syringa × laciniata

Feathered Persian lilac

Hardy deciduous shrub

Oleaceae

Syringa vulgaris

Common lilac

Hardy deciduous shrub

Oleaceae