Cultivating joy

In a new three-part guide, Sue Kent shows how to create a low-maintenance, uplifting summer garden packed with colour, scent and joy. This month she focuses on a feel-good flower border

- Sue Kent

Part 1 Bountiful borders

Flower show season is upon us -a joyous time of the year - and with it the chance to gather inspiration and knowledge to inform our own garden design and plans. I love to visit the show gardens at events such as RHS Chelsea, Gardeners' World Live and Malvern, not only for the plants and flowers on display, but also to watch what people are drawn to and how long they linger. What brings them joy? Often, it's beautifully crafted borders full of flowers - a takeaway that I always try to replicate in my garden.

Stopping to observe and marvel at the sensory delights that a border can provide is one of gardening's greatest rewards. In my own garden, I regularly lose part of the day in contemplation, anticipating the beauty of buds yet to open, enjoying the scent or colour of flowers in full bloom, or simply observing fading petals or ripening fruits. This is all part of the process, and such a deep connection with nature is key to the pleasure and joy of creating a garden.

My garden is always evolving, and I have found ways to sustain the feel-good factor through changes and improvements, whether creating a new planting area from scratch, or rearranging and enhancing existing borders. But while I use many different planting styles, including block planting and areas of white space, densely packed, flower-filled borders are always on the menu.

This 'more is more' approach (more flowers = more joy) doesn't have to mean increased maintenance, though. By choosing a planting scheme that's manageable for you, those immersive borders will bring blooming joy for not only people but also wildlife.