Beds and borders are often the highlight of a garden — the place where we grow our most cherished plants and where we strive to create show-stopping color in one season or less conspicuous, yet continuous bloom from spring through fall. They are, in most cases, the most decorative plantings in the garden.

In Creating Beds and Borders, some of America’s best gardeners will teach you how to dig a new bed without breaking your back, how to best use a variety of plants in a border, and how to maintain your borders both through the summer and over the years. You’ll also discover a gallery of unique beds and borders filled with innovative ideas and creative solutions for challenging situations. For years, these authors have been sharing their insights in Fine Gardening magazine. Now, you have their work in a single book that you can take with you out in the yard for inspiration and ideas.

In this excerpt, Marietta O’Byrne offers advice on selecting shrubs to enhance the look of your perennial border and guidelines on placing them for maximum design impact.