The recent warm weather and thunderstorms have done wonders in our Sheffield garden. Vibrant summer flowers are taking over from the cooler spring shades, giving way to riot of colour in the garden. It is a pleasure to 
relax in such a kaleidoscope of colours. Whilst some may prefer a more considered colour palette, we went a little crazy and opted for a full rainbow of colours. Although anything goes colour-wise, there is some order to the chaotic palette. One end of the border contains mainly pinks, blues, whites and purples and this gradually heats up with the introduction of yellows, oranges and warmer pinks. This eventually builds to hot oranges, reds and yellows.
We’ve aimed to achieve a good succession of flowers by choosing a range of plants which flower in the spring, summer and autumn. It is 
worth doing a little research before planting a new border, and the internet is a great resource for advice. Try to be patient and don’t be tempted to buy all your plants one hit – most garden centres will mainly stock plants in flower or about to come into flower. If you buy all your plants in May you’ll probably end up with a lot of plants that flower late spring/early summer. Whilst it’ll look fantastic for a month or two, the remaining summer and autumn months could look a little sparse. A few visits from spring to autumn will allow you to choose a wider range of plants and give you much better succession. If you do want to plant a border in one session do your research and try to find a garden centre or nursery who stock a wide selection of plants which will flower throughout the year. A good garden centre or nursery will be able to advise.
