How to add interest to a wide border

28/02/2018 Plan Your Garden, Design Challenges

Are you wondering how to add interest to a wide planting border? One option is to install a new pathway through the middle of the border, perhaps together with a new feature such as a wooden archway. This is what our client chose to do when we landscaped their cottage style garden in Wokingham recently. It’s a very practical solution too – allowing easier access to the hard to reach areas at the back of the border.

Cobbled Sett Pathway

By installing a cobbled sett pathway through the middle of the large border it effectively breaks up this area and immediately adds interest to the garden. If you follow the pathway it now takes you on a journey through the border, appreciating the planting as you go – down to the bottom of the garden where we have installed a circular paved sun terrace. The cobbled setts we used are sandstone and 100ml by 100ml in size.

The new cobbled setts pathway divides the large planting border creating an interesting space and drawing the eye down the garden.

Timber Archway

Another feature we installed in the border that now makes an impact is a wooden archway. Its height alone adds definition and the archway helps to draw your eye along the pathway. Come the summer months there will be climbers growing over the archway adding to the cottage feel of the planting.

The attractive wooden archway creates another feature in the border providing the ideal place to plant climbers in the summer months.

Circular Paved Terrace

At the end of the cobbled pathway we constructed a circular paved terrace area from handcut Indian Sandstone in the ‘Raj’ colour choice. Instead of using a circle feature pack where the pavers are all the same size, we installed random shaped paving and then cut the edges of the paving slabs to make the circle. In my opinion this makes for a more interesting effect. The circle was finished off by an edging of the cobbled setts to tie it in with the pathway.

Random shaped paving, cut at the edges to form a circle, gives an attractive finish to the patio.

Now our client has the perfect spot to enjoy a glass of wine on a warm summer’s evening!

Like what you see?

From planning a new border to a complete garden remodel, we pride ourselves on transforming ideas into beautiful reality, with minimum disruption. If you’re based in or around the Reading and Newbury area, we’d love to meet and discuss your project in detail – book your free no-obligation garden consultation today. We do get pretty booked up, particularly during the Spring, so plan ahead if possible!