DIY GUIDE · GARDEN & OUTDOOR

How to plant a border yourself
A weekend for a 4 × 1.5 m border. £252–£442 in plants, compost, mulch and tools.

Read the site, prepare the soil, plant at the right depth, water in, mulch, and wait.

DIFFICULTY
Easy
no licence needed
TIME
A weekend
a day to clear and prepare the soil, a day to plant, water and mulch a border of about 6 m²
MATERIALS
£252–£442
about twenty perennials in 2-litre pots, compost, bark mulch, a spade and gloves; plants are most of the cost
A PRO CHARGES
£100–£1,500
typically £300
  • Every step, start to finish
  • Checked October 2026 — sources at the end
  • Honest about when to call a pro

FIRST, THE HONEST ANSWER

Do it yourself, or get a gardener?

Do it yourself if…

  • You can dig the soil over and lift bags of compost and mulch
  • You are happy to read plant labels for light, soil, height and spacing
  • You can water the new plants through their first growing season
  • The border is at ground level, without retaining walls or changes of level

Get a pro if…

  • You want a designed planting scheme for a large or difficult garden
  • The ground is rubble, heavy clay or roots throughout and needs serious soil work first
  • The border involves building walls, steps or raised edges
  • You cannot water through the first summer and need an establishment visit

Safety first

  • Lift compost bags and big pots the way HSE's good handling guidance describes: close to your waist, knees and hips slightly bent, no twisting, and help for anything heavy.
  • Wear gloves when handling soil, compost and mulch, and wash your hands afterwards; soil can carry bacteria and sharp debris.
  • Before digging deeply, find out where drains, pipes and any outdoor electric cable run, and fork rather than spade near them.
  • Do not plant species listed as invasive; in England and Wales it is an offence to plant or cause certain listed plants to grow in the wild.
  • Some popular plants are toxic or irritant, euphorbia and foxglove among them; wear gloves and keep them away from where small children play.
  • Kneel on a kneeler and change position often; planting is mostly bending.

MATERIALCOVERAGEFOR THIS JOB
Perennials and shrubsSpaced to the label's spreadAbout twenty 2-litre perennials for 6 m², or fewer with shrubs
Peat-free compost or soil improverDug into the top spade's depthFour 50-litre bags for 6 m²
Topsoil (only if your soil is thin)Borders want 150–200 mm of topsoilMeasure the shortfall in depth before buying
Mulch: bark or compostAt least 50 mm, ideally 75 mm deepAbout 300 litres for 6 m² at 50 mm

How many plants and how much mulch

36 m² of wall → 288 L for 2 coats. Buy about 288 L.

Plants = border area ÷ (the label's spread × the spread). Mulch litres = area in m² × depth in mm. A 4 × 1.5 m border is 6 m²; with plants spreading about 50 cm, that is 6 ÷ 0.25 = 24 plants, and a 50 mm mulch is 6 × 50 = 300 litres.

Mixed borders combine plants of different spreads; work out each group from its own label and add them up. Mulch needs to be at least 50 mm deep to hold moisture and slow weeds, as the mulch maker advises.

Right plant, right place

Watch the border through a day and note how many hours of direct sun it gets. Sun-loving plants sulk in shade and shade lovers scorch in full sun. Every plant label states its light and soil needs; trust it over the photograph.

Know your soil

Squeeze a handful of moist soil. Sticky, shiny and holding its shape is clay; gritty and falling apart is sandy; in between is loam. A cheap pH kit tells you whether it is acid or alkaline, which rules some plants in and others out.

Structure, then fillers

Start with a few shrubs or large perennials for year-round shape, then fill with mid-height perennials, and finish with low plants at the front. Repeat the same plants along the border rather than one of everything; repetition makes a border look planned.

Plant sizes and value

Perennials in 1- or 2-litre pots establish quickly and are good value. Larger pots give an instant look but cost far more and need more water. Bare-root plants in winter are the cheapest of all for hedging and some perennials.

Space for the plant's final size

Read the eventual spread on the label and space to it, not to how small the plant is today. A border looks thin for the first summer and full by the second; crowding it on day one means lifting and splitting within a year or two.

Avoid invasive species

Some plants once sold for gardens and ponds, such as Japanese knotweed and certain water plants, are now listed as invasive, and planting or causing them to grow in the wild is an offence in England and Wales. Buy from a reputable nursery and check anything given to you.

Group plants in threes or fives of the same kind for impact; singles look spotty.
Plant spring bulbs between perennials in autumn for colour before the perennials wake up.

THE PART THAT DECIDES THE FINISH

Preparing the ground — by the border you have

The preparation depends on where the border is coming from. Find yours and do it before the plants arrive.

A new border cut from lawn

Turning grass into a planted bed.

  1. Mark the shape with a hose or rope and cut the edge with a spade
  2. Lift the turf with the spade, or stack it upside down elsewhere to rot into loam
  3. Dig the soil over a spade's depth and pick out perennial weed roots
  4. Work in compost as you dig, then rake level
An existing, tired border

Old planting, weeds and worn-out soil.

  1. Lift plants you want to keep and set them aside in the shade with their roots covered
  2. Dig out perennial weeds whole, including bindweed and couch grass roots
  3. Fork in a generous layer of compost or soil improver
  4. Divide overgrown perennials before replanting them
Heavy clay

Wet in winter, cracked in summer.

  1. Dig only when the soil is moist but not wet, or you destroy its structure
  2. Work in plenty of organic matter; it is the long-term cure
  3. Choose plants that tolerate clay; many roses, asters and shrubs thrive in it
  4. Avoid standing on the dug soil; use a board
Light, sandy or dry soil

Drains fast, hungry, dries out quickly.

  1. Add compost or well-rotted manure every year; it holds water and nutrients
  2. Choose drought-tolerant plants: lavender, salvia, grasses and Mediterranean shrubs
  3. Plant in autumn or early spring so roots establish before summer
  4. Mulch thickly to hold moisture in
Shade or under trees

Little direct sun, dry roots.

  1. Count the hours of sun before choosing; light shade and deep shade suit different plants
  2. Under trees, plant small plants between roots rather than cutting through them
  3. Improve the soil in each planting hole and water generously in the first year
  4. Choose woodland plants such as ferns, hellebores and hardy geraniums
Against a wall or fence

A narrow strip at the base of a boundary.

  1. Expect dry soil; walls and fences cast a rain shadow on the side away from the weather
  2. Dig in extra compost and plant a hand's width out from the base
  3. Keep the soil level well below any damp-proof course on a house wall
  4. Fix wires or trellis for climbers before you plant

THE JOB

How to plant a border, in order

  1. Read the site and plan

    1 hr

    Do the preparation above for your border. Note the hours of sun, the soil type, and where water sits or runs. Then sketch the border to scale and plan the plants: structure first, then fillers, then edging plants, tall at the back or centre and low at the front.

    • Photograph the border at morning, noon and evening to see the light
    • Check each plant's height, spread and flowering time
    • Plan for some interest in each season

    Mistake to avoid: Buying plants on impulse at the garden centre and finding a place for them later. They end up in the wrong light and the wrong place.

  2. Clear and dig the soil

    3 hr

    Remove turf, weeds and old plants, then dig the soil over to a spade's depth, breaking up lumps and lifting out stones and every piece of perennial weed root. Work in compost or soil improver as you go. Rake the surface roughly level.

    • Dig when the soil is moist but not sticky
    • Keep perennial weed roots in a bucket for the council bin
    • Work backwards so you do not tread on the dug soil

    Mistake to avoid: Planting into unimproved, weedy soil. The plants struggle and the weeds win.

  3. Water the plants before planting

    15 min

    Stand the potted plants in a bucket of water, or water them thoroughly, an hour before you plant. A dry root ball planted into soil stays dry, because water runs round it rather than into it.

    • Plunge until the bubbles stop
    • Let them drain before planting
    • Keep plants in the shade until they go in

    Mistake to avoid: Planting with dry root balls. They never wet through properly and the plant wilts all summer.

  4. Lay the plants out

    30 min

    Set the plants, still in their pots, on the soil where they will go. Stand back, look at the arrangement from the house and the path, and move them until you are happy. Check the spacing against each plant's eventual spread.

    • Group the same plants in odd numbers
    • Leave room at the front for low plants to spill over the edge
    • Use canes to mark shrub positions

    Mistake to avoid: Planting the first one before seeing them all together. The border ends up lopsided and crowded at one end.

  5. Dig the planting holes

    1 hr

    Dig each hole about twice as wide as the pot and as deep. Loosen the soil at the bottom and sides with a fork so roots can spread. On poor soil, mix a little compost into the soil you took out.

    • Wide matters more than deep; roots spread sideways
    • In clay, rough up the sides of the hole so it does not become a sump
    • Fill the hole with water and let it drain first on dry soil

    Mistake to avoid: Digging narrow, deep holes in clay. Water collects in them and the roots rot.

  6. Plant at the right depth

    1 hr

    Ease each plant out of its pot, gently tease out any roots circling the root ball, and set it in the hole so the top of the root ball sits level with the surrounding soil. Backfill around it, firming with your hands or heel so there are no air pockets.

    • Lay a cane across the hole to check the level
    • Plant shrubs and perennials at the depth they were in the pot
    • Firm gently; you want contact, not compaction

    Mistake to avoid: Planting too deep. The stem base sits in wet soil and rots, and many perennials simply fade away.

  7. Water in thoroughly

    30 min

    Water each plant generously straight after planting, enough to settle the soil round the roots, then water the whole border. Through the first growing season, water deeply once or twice a week in dry weather rather than a little every day.

    • Water at the base, not over the leaves
    • One deep soak drives roots down; sprinkles keep them shallow
    • Collect rainwater in a butt for the summer

    Mistake to avoid: A quick sprinkle after planting. The surface looks wet while the roots stay dry.

  8. Mulch the border

    45 min

    Spread mulch over the moist soil, at least 50 mm deep and ideally 75 mm, keeping it a little clear of plant stems so they do not rot. Mulch holds moisture, slows weeds and feeds the soil as it breaks down.

    • Mulch after watering, never on dry soil
    • Top up mulch each spring as it breaks down
    • A bark mulch lasts longer; a compost mulch feeds the soil more

    Mistake to avoid: Piling mulch against stems. It keeps them wet and invites rot.

  9. Label and record

    15 min

    Put a label by each group of plants, or photograph the border with a sketch of what is where. Many perennials vanish below ground in winter, and it is easy to dig them up or plant on top of them in spring.

    • Write the name and planting date on each label
    • Keep plant labels in a notebook with the plan
    • Note what did well and what struggled after the first year

    Mistake to avoid: Not labelling. In spring you weed out your own perennials as they emerge.

  10. Stake and support tall plants

    20 min

    Put supports in now for tall perennials such as delphiniums, peonies and asters, while they are small, rather than after they have flopped. Push hoops or a ring of canes and twine in around the plant so it grows up through them. Climbers need wires or a trellis fixed before planting, with the plant set a hand's width away from the wall where the soil is drier.

    • Supports put in early disappear into the foliage
    • Tie stems loosely in a figure of eight
    • Lean climbers in towards their support with a cane

    Mistake to avoid: Waiting until a storm has flattened the border. Staking a collapsed plant breaks the stems and never looks natural.

  11. Keep it watered and weeded

    Ongoing

    Through the first summer, water in dry spells, hoe or hand-weed between plants weekly, and deadhead as flowers fade. Most borders look thin in their first year and fill out in the second.

    • Check new plants every few days in hot weather
    • Weed by hand near young plants; hoes cut roots
    • Resist adding more plants to fill gaps; the first ones will spread

    Mistake to avoid: Stopping watering after a month. The first summer is the one that decides whether plants establish.

The mistakes that make a border fail

  • Choosing plants for a picture rather than your light and soil
  • Planting too deep, or with dry root balls
  • Crowding the border to look full on day one
  • Not watering through the first summer

Stop here and get a border planting specialist

  • The border needs retaining walls, steps, raised edges or changes in level
  • The soil is builder's rubble or subsoil that needs excavating and replacing
  • You want a full planting design for a large or difficult site
  • You find invasive plants such as Japanese knotweed in the ground you are preparing
How to hire a border planting specialist →

New plants wilting despite wateringDry root balls, too little water reaching the roots, or roots rotting in waterlogged soil. Soak deeply less often; on clay check holes are not holding water.
Plants rotting at the basePlanted too deep or mulch against the stems. Lift and replant at the right level and pull mulch back.
Leaves scorched or bleachedA shade plant in too much sun, or new plants not hardened off. Move it in the dormant season to a shadier spot.
Plants leggy and floppyToo much shade, too much feed, or crowding. Check the light, stop feeding, and stake or move plants.
Border full of weeds by midsummerPerennial roots left in the soil or no mulch. Fork out roots, hoe weekly and mulch thickly over clean soil.
Slugs eating new plantsYoung, soft growth is their favourite. Check at night and pick them off, protect the most vulnerable plants, and encourage birds and hedgehogs.
Plants not floweringToo little sun, too much nitrogen, or the plant needs another year. Check the light, stop feeding, and be patient with new perennials.
Gaps after the first winterSome plants were not hardy, or rotted in wet soil. Replace with tougher plants for your conditions and improve drainage with organic matter.

WHAT YOU SAVE

What it costs to do it yourself

Perennials in 2-litre pots, about twenty£180–£340
Peat-free compost, four 50-litre bags£20–£34
Mulch, three 100-litre bags of bark£39
Digging spade£11–£24
Gardening gloves£2–£5
Total, about 6 m²£252–£442
DIY total£252–£442
A border planting specialist charges per job
LOW
£100
TYPICAL
£300
HIGH
£1,500
Planting & Borders price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

Plants are almost all of the cost. Smaller pots, bare-root plants in winter and dividing perennials from friends' gardens cut it sharply; the tools last for years.

RATHER NOT?

Border planting specialists near you, with prices shown

The ones who cover your area, nearest first, with one score from every review. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

Water through the first summer

Deeply once or twice a week in dry weather, at the base of the plants, early or late in the day.

Dispose of turf and weeds properly

Stack lifted turf upside down to rot into loam; perennial weed roots and anything diseased go in the council's garden waste collection or to the household waste recycling centre, not the home compost.

Top up the mulch each spring

Mulch breaks down into the soil; a fresh layer every spring keeps weeds down and moisture in.

Clean and store the tools

Knock off soil, dry, oil the spade, and keep the trowel and hand fork somewhere you can find them.

Planting a border: questions people ask

Autumn and spring, when the soil is moist and not too cold. Container plants can go in most of the year if you water them well, but avoid frozen, waterlogged or very dry ground.

Space to the eventual spread on each plant's label, not its size in the pot. The border looks sparse for the first summer and fills in during the second.

At the same depth it was in its pot, with the top of the root ball level with the soil. Planting too deep is one of the commonest reasons new perennials fail.

On almost every soil, yes. Organic matter improves clay's drainage and helps sandy soil hold water and nutrients. Dig it in before planting and mulch each year.

At least 50 mm, ideally 75 mm, according to the mulch maker, spread on moist soil and kept clear of stems.

The Locufy UK price guide puts border planting at £100–£1,500 per job, typically £300. Plants are often extra, so ask whether the price includes them.

MORE GUIDES

More DIY guides

Building and filling a raised bedWeeding beds, borders and pathsKeeping a garden maintainedClearing an overgrown gardenSetting up timed garden wateringMowing a lawnFeeding and treating a lawnLaying turf
All 90 DIY guides →How to hire a border planting specialist →Planting & Borders price guide →Border planting specialists on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HSE — manual handling: good handling technique
  2. STIHL — creating and designing a plant bed
  3. Rolawn — calculating topsoil requirements: depths for borders
  4. Rolawn — how to apply mulch: at least 50 mm, ideally 75 mm
  5. Hozelock — watering borders and plant beds
  6. GOV.UK — invasive non-native plant species: rules in England and Wales
  7. GOV.UK — dispose of garden waste
  8. Notcutts — price check: perennials in 2-litre pots
  9. Wickes — price check: compost and bark
  10. Wickes — price check: spades
  11. Wickes — price check: gardening gloves