Borders: right plant, right place
Everything a home gardener needs to make a border that thrives: reading your soil and light, choosing plants that suit them, building structure and colour through the year, planting properly, and keeping it looking good with less work. Short videos, quick checks and a checklist for your own garden in every lesson.
10 lessons18 minutes of video40 flashcardsLifetime access
Start with lessons 1 and 2: knowing your soil and your light. Every good choice after that follows the same rule: right plant, right place.
Know your garden
Soil types and pH, sun, shade, shelter and hardiness
- 1Know your soilSoil types, the squeeze test, pH and what it means for plants, and improving any soil.
- 2Sun, shade and shelterAspect, sun and shade, dry and damp spots, wind, and reading the hardiness rating.Free lesson
Choosing plants
Plant types and labels, layers and seasons, groups, shapes and colour
- 3Plant types and labelsThe main kinds of border plant, what a label tells you, and choosing plants that will thrive.
- 4Structure and seasonsBuilding a border in layers, an evergreen backbone, and something to see in every season.
- 5Putting plants togetherGroups and repetition, contrasting shapes and leaves, and using colour with confidence.
Planting
Planning a border on paper, and planting it properly
- 6Planning a borderSiting and size, clearing and preparing the ground, and planning heights and spacing on paper.
- 7PlantingWhen to plant, setting out, planting a perennial or shrub properly, and the first season's care.
Looking after borders
Mulching, watering, the border year and problem places
- 8Mulching, watering and feedingMulching properly, watering well and only when needed, and why most borders need little feeding.
- 9The border yearStaking, deadheading, the Chelsea chop, cutting back or leaving for winter, and dividing perennials.Free lesson
- 10Low maintenance and problem placesDry shade, hot dry borders, wet ground, ground cover, and borders that look after themselves.
Before you buy
I'm starting with a bare patch. Is this for me?
Yes. The course goes from testing your soil and mapping the light to drawing a plan, preparing the ground and planting, with a plant finder sorted by conditions.
I have dry shade under trees. Will it help?
The last lesson covers problem places, including dry shade, hot dry borders, damp ground and heavy clay, with plants that suit each.
Are GardenSteps courses RHS courses?
No. GardenSteps is independent. Our courses follow the Royal Horticultural Society's published guidance, but they aren't affiliated with or endorsed by the RHS.
Who are the courses for?
Home gardeners in the UK, from complete beginners to people who garden every year and want to stop guessing. You don't need any experience.
How long does each lesson take?
The videos are about two minutes each. With the quick check, the flashcards and the checklist, a lesson takes around ten minutes, so you can do one over a cup of tea and then go out into the garden.
How long do I have access?
A single course is yours for as long as we run it, with no subscription. If we ever close a course, we'll give you at least 12 months' notice and a way to download its summary sheets. The all-access pass opens every course for 12 months.
What is the all-access pass?
One payment of £79 opens every GardenSteps course for 12 months, including any new courses we release during that time, with all the summary sheets and handouts. It doesn't renew automatically: we email you a month before it ends, and renewing early adds the new year to the end of your current one. Handouts you've downloaded are yours to keep.
Which devices can I use?
Any modern phone, tablet or computer, so you can take a lesson out into the garden. The summary sheets are PDF files you can print.
Can I get a refund?
You can cancel within 14 days. Because the courses are digital content, the right to cancel ends once you start the lessons, and we ask you to confirm this at checkout. See our refund policy for details.