In October last year, I was encouraged by the team to enter the Creative Borders competition at the Harrogate Flower Show.
To my amazement, my entry was selected as one of the winning designs and just like that, planning swiftly begun!
The Border Design
With no other brief than simply ‘creative border’, I took the word ‘creative’ to heart.
I’ve always been fascinated with the very edge of a border, where the manicured bumps into the wild.
I wanted this concept to depict that threshold, taking the visitor towards the very back of a bed, looking out onto an adjacent field. A rustic post & rail fence denotes the separation between ‘garden’ and ‘wild’, and naturalistic planting including a self-grown sapling form the ‘wild’ side, while rhythm and texture of cottage-style planting form the ‘garden’ side.
The stepping stones are a playful addition that invite you to venture beyond the border and into the wild, evoking a wonderful feeling of freedom and adventure.
I used tertiary colours – blues, oranges, and violets – creating combinations full of complementary and contrasting hues. I really wanted the ‘garden’ side to be full of colour, while the ‘wild’ side focused more on greens and whites, and to visually appear more subdued to ensure a good contrast.
As I was coming up with the design, I could picture a grandmother out tending her garden, taking a moment to pause and to look out over the fence towards the landscape beyond, proud of her accomplishments. Her grandchildren laughing and skipping through her borders, dashing beyond the fence and running through the field beyond.
As I wanted this to feel like a slice of life, various plants from the wild side gently creep into the manicured, providing cohesion across both sides, and was a nod to the natural growth seen in our gardens.
Gearing Up For The Show
Does everyone remember the wettest winter on record this year? It’s not too far from our memories is it.
Well, this played havoc not only on the plants I wanted to use in the border, but for nurseries in general across the country. Stock losses were abundant, and it either hampered the growth of plants, or accelerated it.
I really wanted our core plants to feel a little special, to be delicate and exude elegance. So, we approached Ben Preston from Cliff Bank Nursery and I leant on his expertise. In fact, we almost exclusively used his nursery to supply our beautiful plants.
I’d say that 65% of the plants I had originally planned, had to be swapped for different varieties for one reason or another. Apart from the bulbs we planted ourselves – a heroic effort by Sarah! – there was a lot of pivoting to be done!
As we only received confirmation of our winning border design in December, we quickly scrambled to purchase some bulbs and get them in the ground. This way we could reduce our costs, but it also allowed us to stagger our planting to try and ensure that we had blooms at the right time. I believe we were about 75% lucky in this respect. My new favourites – Narcissus Geranium, oh they have a heavenly scent – were lovely additions to my front entrance, but sadly didn’t make it to the show.
Although I was a little concerned at times thinking “will it, won’t it”, I think the border was better off with the changes and exclusions we made, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how it turned out.
I don’t know how proper nurseries take this on. The pressure to grow something to bloom at a specific point in time – wow – not for me, and kudos to all those experts out there who can do it.
What truly helped calm any nerves was the run through we did two weeks prior to the show. I must admit I wasn’t feeling entirely confident about what I had sourced to date. Something was missing. I could see my idea coming together, but it wasn’t near enough to the final picture I had in mind.
What we needed was height. I had yet to source my “self-grown sapling” as I was hoping that a hawthorn I had my eye on would open in time, but really, there was no bulk to this small standard and it felt a little… pathetic. In my desperation, I was on the lookout on every walk for the perfect sapling. I do think I found it in the end, in the centre of a farmer’s field a stone’s throw away from my home… it had a magnificent presence. As we neared the show and my desperation grew, there was a moment of panic when I thought “how can I get my hands on that beautiful little tree the sheep are grazing past?” … For the record, I was always going to ask the owner of the field if I could borrow it… but luckily, I found my perfect little multi-stem birch at a nursery – who would have thought that? – which added height and weight to the wild side, and in my opinion brought the entire border together.
With my multi-stem secured, I was getting really excited to start the build.
The Show
It was so wonderful to see all the Creative Borders and Show Gardens come to life, as either practical applications for domestic gardens, or as artistic statements.
Creativity was everywhere you turned, and it really was exciting to see all the different planting combinations and creativity on hand. There was one single brief, executed in so many inspiring ways.
It was also wonderful to meander through the crowds and pick up bits of conversation about the border or engage with those who stopped by and asked about certain plants – the Veronica Gentianoides was a big hit!
It felt incredibly special to see people’s positive reactions to the border, a feeling I won’t soon forget.
With Special Thanks
A big thank you to Annabel and Sarah who encouraged me to enter the competition and supported me throughout. An extra special shoutout to Sarah, for kindly nurturing our bulbs, and who I dragged along to various nurseries in the cold winter rain where we got soaked through on more than one occasion… And to her husband George, who helped with the build and lent a critical eye, as well as Clare, who’s enthusiasm and easy-going nature was a big hit at the showground. And, to Cliff Bank Nursery – a must visit for those in the Huby and surrounding areas.