How to create an accessible summer border

There is nothing better than seeing and enjoying a summer border in full flower. If you have limited mobility, the design, planting and maintenance can seem somewhat daunting.

With some careful planning, however, you can have fun at every stage.

Where to position your border

When you start to design your accessible summer border, first think about where it will be. Ideally, find a space in full sun for most of the day. Some early or late shade is just as good.

How big to create your border

When you visit public gardens, borders are often very long and wide. This may look wonderful, but unless you have a huge garden and team of gardeners is not realistic at home!

Think about the dimensions from the start. When you do that, think about what you can do on an everyday basis, for example:

• How far you can reach?
• Do you need support when walking or getting up and down from a seated or kneeling position?
• Can you twist your wrist or do you have any dexterity problems?

Then, you can design your border with all of this in mind.

If you can kneel, but need some help getting up and down, you could use a kneeling pad with supporting arms.

If you are in a wheelchair, like me, and can twist your torso then consider how far you can reach.

If you have limited mobility, you could go for a raised summer border using a raised bed, table, manger or a collection of large containers.

A summer border can be any length, but you might want to start small, e.g. 1m long x 60-80cm wide. With arms outstretched, most people can reach 60-80cm across, allowing access to every part of the border.

Ideally, you want your summer border to look great for at least 4-5 months (June-October). This can be achieved with a vibrant mix of shrubs, perennials, ornamental grasses and summer-flowering bulbs.

To create a full-looking border, aim for taller plants at the back and smaller ones closer to the front. There are some taller plants that you can see through, such as ornamental grasses or Verbena bonariensis. These also look great at the front of the border.

Think about plant texture, shape and form. Try placing plants with different textures next to each other and have a mix of plants that grow upwards and those that form low mounds.

Think about plant maintenance. Pruning can be difficult, especially if you cannot twist your wrist or have dexterity problems. Plants like roses are beautiful but need a lot of maintenance, regular pruning, and manual dexterity to avoid thorns.

Many flowering shrubs need very little maintenance. Some smaller ones don't even need deadheading, such as Abelia x grandiflora or Cistus x purpureus.

Finally, think about wildlife. Bee and butterfly-friendly plants are essential for your garden. Try to avoid planting the whole border with the same plant, otherwise known as monoculture. Aim for a good mix of plants, which will help with biodiversity.

Mark's recommended plants

Top 5 shrubs:

• Abelia x grandiflora
• Cistus
• Escallonia ‘Apple Blossom’
• Fuchsia ‘Mrs Popple’
• English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’)

Top 5 perennials:

• Achillea millefolium ‘Cerise Queen’
• Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’
• Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’
• Penstemon ‘Husker’s Red’
• Salvia x sylvestris ‘Viola Klose’

Top 5 ornamental grasses:

• Anemanthele lessoniana,
• Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’
• Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldtau’
• Pennisetum villosum
• Stipa tenuissima

Top 5 summer-flowering bulbs:

• Crocosmia x crocosmiifolia ‘George Davison’
• Dahlia ‘Bishop of Auckland’
• Eucomis comosa ‘Sparkling Burgundy’
• Gladiolus ‘Plum Tart’
• Lilium speciosum var. rubrum

Mark Lane is a garden designer, author and BBC gardening presenter. He is also an ambassador for Thrive.

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