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Long shady/dry garden border, how many plants per metre?

cereal_beast@cereal_beast

1 Post

#1 · 5th March 2026, 2:58 pm

Quote from cereal_beast on 5th March 2026, 2:58 pm

I am fairly new to gardening but enjoy it thoroughly! I am looking at adding a border (1m deep) along the back fence of my garden which is about 16m long! There are 2 huge sycamores in the middle of the fence so the area is mostly shady and dry in the summer. I am looking at using the following plants: Aucuba Japonica Crotonifolia, Deschampsia cespitosa 'Goldtau', Hakonechloa Macra, Blechnum spicant. Does that sound like a good mix of plants for a shady dry area below sycamores along a fence? Or is there any you would suggest swapping out or adding? 

The main issue is I have no idea how many of these plants to try and fit per metre! If you have any advice that would be incredibly helpful! I've attached a photo of the area for reference.

Thanks!

I am fairly new to gardening but enjoy it thoroughly! I am looking at adding a border (1m deep) along the back fence of my garden which is about 16m long! There are 2 huge sycamores in the middle of the fence so the area is mostly shady and dry in the summer. I am looking at using the following plants: Aucuba Japonica Crotonifolia, Deschampsia cespitosa 'Goldtau', Hakonechloa Macra, Blechnum spicant. Does that sound like a good mix of plants for a shady dry area below sycamores along a fence? Or is there any you would suggest swapping out or adding? 

The main issue is I have no idea how many of these plants to try and fit per metre! If you have any advice that would be incredibly helpful! I've attached a photo of the area for reference.

Thanks!

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Lee Garden Ninja@lee

822 Posts

#2 · 10th March 2026, 3:43 pm

Quote from Lee Garden Ninja on 10th March 2026, 3:43 pm

Hi @cereal_beast

Great question on how many plants you need in a flower bed! Before I jump to that one thing, I would advise that for a border of that length, you actually go slightly deeper, as otherwise it will look a bit too thin! I'd go for 1.5m if possible, and then it allows you to get some real volume to hide the fence and make the garden feel more immersive!

As a rule of thumb, allow 4-6 2-litre herbaceous perennials per square metre. Obviously, if you have a Hamamelis shrub or such in that 1m section, you can reduce the herbaceous perennials. My guide here shows how to layer flower beds which maybe of help for you!

It may be helpful to read my plant guide for shade here for further guidance, or you can always book a consultation with me for tailored planting and layout suggestions.

Do let us know how you get on!

All the best

Lee Garden Ninja

Hi @cereal_beast

Great question on how many plants you need in a flower bed! Before I jump to that one thing, I would advise that for a border of that length, you actually go slightly deeper, as otherwise it will look a bit too thin! I'd go for 1.5m if possible, and then it allows you to get some real volume to hide the fence and make the garden feel more immersive!

As a rule of thumb, allow 4-6 2-litre herbaceous perennials per square metre. Obviously, if you have a Hamamelis shrub or such in that 1m section, you can reduce the herbaceous perennials. My guide here shows how to layer flower beds which maybe of help for you!

It may be helpful to read my plant guide for shade here for further guidance, or you can always book a consultation with me for tailored planting and layout suggestions.

Do let us know how you get on!

All the best

Lee Garden Ninja

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Lee Burkhill

Lee Burkhill, known as the Garden Ninja, is an award-winning garden designer and horticulturist with over 30 years of gardening experience and 15 years as a professional garden designer. A qualified RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) professional, Lee specialises in sustainable garden design and practical horticultural advice. He designs and presents on BBC1’s Garden Rescue and in leading gardening publications. Lee combines three decades of hands-on gardening knowledge with professional design qualifications to help gardeners create beautiful, functional outdoor spaces.

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