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Main Borders

The exquisite Main Borders – one of the original features of Harlow Carr – offer exuberant plantings of herbaceous perennials, grasses, bulbs and shrubs, and a wealth of inspiring plant combinations

Looking its best in...

  • Spring Narcissus and Camassia, followed by drifts of purple and white alliums
  • Summer A colourful, frothy blend of herbaceous perennials, prairie-style grasses and shrubs
  • Autumn Golden grasses and sculptural seedheads catch the autumn sun

Main Borders

One of the earliest features created at Harlow Carr, the Main Borders run across the axis of the garden. They offer a glorious vista of planting through the seasons, while drawing visitors on to the Woodland and Doric columns that once graced the portico of Harrogate’s spa rooms.

Mature specimen trees, including Maytenus, Parrotia, Liquidambar (American sweetgum) and Tilia (lime trees), bring height and structure to the borders, while the generous prairie-style planting combines herbaceous perennials, bulbs and grasses in spectacular bold drifts.

A visual rhythm

Angular cones of Buxus (box) punctuate the Main Borders, creating a visual rhythm to the planting. Halfway down the borders is an informal roundel planted simply with hardy geraniums, Molinia, Perovskia and Camassia.

Although at their sensational best in summer, the borders offer significant horticultural interest all year round. Alliums bridge the gap between spring and summer – planted in their thousands to create a haze of purple and white pom-poms.

In autumn, bright yellow rudbeckias, orange-hued heleniums and red-flowered Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ add a fiery note, while purple moor grass Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea ‘Skyracer’ adds contrast and texture.

Plants in the Main Borders

The White Border

In 2011 a new border was created adjacent to the Main Borders – the White Border – offering a harmonious blend of perennials and grasses set within a choice selection of shrubs and small trees.

Gardens with a limited colour pallete have a long-established history and allow the true structure and form of plants and their foliage to shine. In the White Border, contrasting colour heightens the beauty of white-flowering plants, for example, through the delicate, purple flowers of Thalictrum ‘Anne’ or the strong foliage tones of Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’.

Ornamental grasses bring movement to the border. The stately silhouette of Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ and sweeping form of Molinia caerulea subsp. arundinacea ‘Windspiel’ look particularly attractive in the breeze.

Through autumn and winter we leave as many plants standing in the borders as possible, to provide food and shelter for wildlife. The seedheads are an important food source for birds, and if you look closely you might spot red ladybirds, which overwinter in the borders.

Katherine Musgrove, RHS Garden Harlow Carr Garden Manager

Plants in the White Border

The Mediterranean Border

Situated at the top of the Main Borders, facing south-west to catch the sun, is a bed of Mediterranean natives and other plants that enjoy warm, well-drained conditions.

Bay laurel, Cistus and lavenders thrive here alongside Euphorbia myrsinites. In summer, the border features bright, clashing colours from fuchsias, kniphofias, salvias and dahlias.

Sun Border

A new Sun Border is planned that will see the existing Mediterranean Border expanded and enhanced.

The border will feature a wide range of sun-loving and subtropical plants, including Calocedrus decurrens, Laurus nobilis, Agapanthus, Nerine and x Amarine hybrids. This new border has been made possible thanks to a legacy gifted to the RHS by Celia Wroe.

The Subtropical Border

The striking Subtropical Border, located just below the garden’s entrance steps, provides a warm and tropical welcome on a summer visit to Harlow Carr. This dazzling display was first created in 2018 to add an exciting, exotic feel to the garden, and takes inspiration from the dramatic planting schemes of Great Dixter.

Reaching its peak in late summer, the border combines the large, lush foliage of plants such as bananas, Canna, Hedychium and Paulownia, with vibrant splashes of colour from the flowers of salvias and dahlias.

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The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.