Shrub border - designing

Creating a shrub border is a little like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Your shrubs must be fitted together with a little overlapping or overhang here, a little extra space allowed there for development, both horizontally and vertically. The front border plants should dress up the edge then step up and up to the point where the back-border plants complete the composition. Add one or two really tall shrubs or small trees to give height at corners and where it would be most effective in the back row. Most shrub borders should follow a general pattern of low to high plantings.