Head Gardener Daniel Hale from Brodsworth Hall and Gardens shares tips on creating stunning summer borders with continuous blooms, wildlife-friendly plants, and wow factor. The restored Victorian borders at Brodsworth feature topiary, ferns, and over 100 rose varieties. Get inspired for your garden with 2 for 1 Gardens Guide.
Design influenced by Victorian era with formal symmetry at Brodsworth Hall
Incorporating pollinator-friendly plants enhances the biodiversity and sensory experience of the garden
Deep dives
Creating Victorian Garden Rooms at Broadsworth Hall
At Broadsworth Hall, the garden design is influenced by the Victorian era, featuring garden rooms with formal symmetry. The hall was rebuilt in Osborne style, and intricate design elements such as huge bedding, rose garden, fern dell, and various topiaries adorn the landscape. These Victorian gardens ensure year-round interest, maintaining formality, symmetry, and offering a garden for all seasons.
Herbaceous Border Diversity and Plant Selection
Broadsworth Hall features two herbaceous borders, one formal and the other informal but both rich in plant diversity. Plants like Nepeta, Hemerocallis, and feature plants such as dahlias, false red bananas, and scabious are strategically positioned for seasonal appeal. The border design includes tall, dominant plants, pollinator-friendly flowers, and ensures continuous interest from spring to autumn.
Supporting Pollinators in Garden Borders
Incorporating pollinator-friendly plants like Geraniums, Angelica, and Scabiosa enhances the biodiversity of the garden. Broadsworth Hall strategically welcomes bees with plants like Alliums, Salvias, and specific perennial varieties to create a thriving ecosystem. The garden's emphasis on pollinator plants fosters a sensory experience and contributes to the overall garden vitality.
Mediterranean Gardening and Structural Planting
The Summer House Project at Broadsworth Hall introduces Mediterranean-style planting, including Rosemary, Sage, Yuccas, and Myrtle. These evergreen shrubs and smaller trees like Abutus and Tamarix add structural variety. With a focus on soil preparation, drainage, and plant selection, this new palette enriches the garden's planting schemes, offering different dimensions and sustained interest.
Nothing shouts summer in the garden more than beautiful colourful borders. Daniel Hale, Head Gardener at Brodworth Hall and Gardens, gives advice for how to create sensational summer borders. With plants that provide flowers all summer long, add height to the border, are wildlife friendly and have the ‘wow’ factor too, there’s plenty of inspiration for that ‘summer kiss’ border this year and for future years too.Brodsworth’s borders have been restored to their Victorian grandeur and include topiary, ferns and over 100 varieties of roses. Brodsworth is also part of our 2 for 1 Gardens Guide, which is on sale now – pick up a copy and enjoy 2for1 entry to over 400 gardens, including Brodsworth, packed full of inspiration for your garden. Buy in stores or online: https://bit.ly/3wgR9mV