Between Two Shores: the drought-tolerant planting story behind my Gold medal-winning border
I was over the moon when my Between Two Shores border won a Gold medal at the BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair at Audley End.
It was a fantastic few days, filled with plants, garden design and lots of lovely conversations. So many visitors stopped to ask about the planting, particularly the bright pink Gomphrena, so I wanted to share the story behind the border and take a closer look at some of the plants I used.
The idea behind Between Two Shores
The border was inspired by the atmosphere of two different coastlines. I wanted it to feel natural and relaxed, with plenty of movement, texture and softly changing colour. The planting brought together upright grasses, flowering perennials, small shrubs and stronger architectural forms.
Reclaimed sea groynes helped create the coastal character, while a handmade bench crafted from reclaimed oak added a more personal element. The bench represented my grandparents and the people and memories that can connect us to a particular landscape.
Although the border was created for the show, I wanted it to be full of ideas that could be used in real gardens.
Planting for hotter drier summers
Our summers are becoming hotter and periods without rain are becoming more common. This means we need to think carefully about the plants we choose and whether they are suited to the conditions in our gardens.
The plants in Between Two Shores were selected to cope with sunshine, exposed conditions and periods of dry weather once established.
That doesn’t mean they never need watering. All new plants need regular watering while they establish and develop their root systems.
Watering deeply, rather than giving plants a small amount every day, encourages their roots to travel further down into the soil. Moisture remains available for longer at this depth, helping established plants cope better when there is less rain.
Soil conditions are important too. Many drought-tolerant plants dislike sitting in cold, wet ground during the winter. If your garden has heavy clay soil, you may need to improve the drainage or choose plants that are better suited to those conditions.
It always comes back to choosing the right plant for the right place.
The plants used in Between Two Shores
The planting combined grasses, perennials, flowering annuals and compact shrubs. Each plant had a particular role, whether that was creating height, adding movement, introducing colour or holding the structure of the border together.
Erigeron ‘Sea Breeze’
Erigeron ‘Sea Breeze’ is a low-growing perennial with blue-grey foliage and masses of lilac-pink, daisy-like flowers with yellow centres.
It flowers throughout the summer and works beautifully near the front of a border, in a gravel garden or allowed to soften the edge of a wall.
Its ability to cope with sunshine and exposed coastal conditions made it a natural choice for Between Two Shores.
Achillea ‘Terracotta’
One of the things I love about Achillea ‘Terracotta’ is the way its colour changes.
The flat flower heads open in warm terracotta and orange tones, then gradually soften through shades of peach, yellow and cream. A single plant can therefore bring several different colours into the border at once.
Achillea enjoys a sunny position with free-draining soil and works particularly well in naturalistic and drought-tolerant planting schemes.
Brachyglottis greyi
Brachyglottis greyi is a tough evergreen shrub with softly textured, silver-grey leaves and bright yellow, daisy-like flowers during the summer.
Its foliage provided year-round structure and worked beautifully with the blue-grey grasses and coastal colours used throughout Between Two Shores.
It is particularly useful in sunny, exposed gardens because it can cope with wind, coastal conditions and periods of dry weather once established. Its silver leaves also provide a lovely contrast against brighter flowers and fresh green foliage.
Thymus praecox ‘Coccineus’
This low-growing creeping thyme forms a spreading mat of small, aromatic green leaves, covered with crimson-pink flowers during the summer.
I used it near the front of the border, where it helped soften the ground and fill the spaces between larger plants.
It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil and is drought tolerant once established. Its flowers are also very attractive to bees and other pollinating insects, making it a useful as well as beautiful ground-cover plant.
Stipa tenuissima
Stipa tenuissima produces very fine, feathery foliage that moves with the slightest breeze.
I used it throughout the border to soften the planting and evoke the movement of grasses beside the coast. It also helped connect the different areas of the scheme by weaving between the flowering plants.
Stipa prefers a sunny position and freely draining soil. It can self-seed when it is happy, so any unwanted seedlings may need to be removed.
Santolina rosmarinifolia ‘Lemon Fizz’
Santolina ‘Lemon Fizz’ is a compact evergreen shrub with vivid lime-green, aromatic foliage.
Its bright leaves brought a fresh hit of colour to Between Two Shores and provided a lovely contrast to the blue-grey grasses and silver foliage used elsewhere in the border.
Small yellow, button-like flowers appear above the foliage during the summer, although the plant is just as valuable for the colour and texture of its leaves.
It enjoys full sun and free-draining soil and is well suited to dry, exposed and coastal planting.
Gomphrena ‘Truffula Pink’
This was the plant so many visitors stopped to ask about. Its vivid pink, globe-shaped flowers are carried above fresh green foliage, creating bright points of colour throughout the planting.
Gomphrena loves warmth and sunshine and continues flowering over a long period. In the UK it is generally grown as an annual, so it won’t reliably survive outside through the winter, but it is a brilliant way to bring lasting summer colour into a sunny border or container.
Santolina chamaecyparissus
Often known as cotton lavender, Santolina chamaecyparissus is a compact evergreen shrub with finely divided, aromatic silver-grey foliage.
Its soft colouring worked beautifully with the blue and silver tones in Between Two Shores, while its rounded form provided structure among the looser grasses and flowering plants.
Small yellow, button-like flowers appear during the summer. It thrives in full sun and free-draining soil and, once established, is well suited to dry and exposed conditions. It dislikes sitting in wet soil during winter.
Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’
Panicum ‘Heavy Metal’ has distinctive metallic blue-grey foliage and a strong, upright habit. Airy flower panicles appear above the foliage in late summer, while the leaves begin to take on warmer yellow tones during autumn.
It brought height and structure to the border while still contributing to the feeling of movement I wanted to create.
Eryngium ‘Magical Blue Lagoon’
This striking sea holly was one of the strongest architectural plants in the border.
Its intense blue stems, spiky bracts and thistle-like flower heads created a lovely contrast against the softer grasses and rounded flowers.
Eryngiums prefer full sun and well-drained soil. They are a brilliant choice for bringing structure, texture and character to a dry planting scheme.
Calamagrostis × acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’
This upright ornamental grass creates height and structure without making a border feel heavy.
Its slender flower stems emerge with soft purple tones before gradually fading to warm gold. The stems remain attractive into autumn and winter, giving the garden a longer season of interest.
I used it to create rhythm through the border and to provide a strong contrast to the softer, more informal plants around it.
Potentilla fruticosa ‘Hopley’s Orange’
Potentilla ‘Hopley’s Orange’ is a compact deciduous shrub with orange-flushed yellow flowers that appear from early summer into autumn.
It provided a more permanent layer of structure among the grasses and flowering perennials, while its warm flowers picked up the orange and terracotta shades elsewhere in the planting. It is hardy, reliable, long flowering and relatively low maintenance.
Armeria maritima
Commonly known as sea thrift, Armeria maritima forms compact clumps of fine, grass-like evergreen foliage, with rounded pink flower heads held above on slender stems.
It is naturally suited to coastal conditions and can cope with sun, wind, salt and periods of dry weather once established.
Its neat, low-growing habit made it useful near the front of Between Two Shores, where it added another clear reference to the coastline and contrasted with the taller, looser planting behind it.
Artemisia abrotanum ‘Coca-Cola’
This unusual aromatic plant gets its name from the sweet, cola-like scent released when its foliage is gently brushed or rubbed.
Its fine, feathery grey-green leaves added another texture to Between Two Shores and worked particularly well alongside the broader silver foliage and upright grasses.
It forms a bushy, shrubby perennial and may produce small yellow flowers, although it is mainly grown for its scented foliage. It prefers a sunny position with well-drained soil and can cope with periods of dry weather once established.
Festuca glauca ‘Eisvogel’
Festuca ‘Eisvogel’ is a compact evergreen grass that forms neat clumps of fine, intensely blue foliage. Its cool colouring helped bring the coastal palette of Between Two Shores through to the front of the border, while its rounded form contrasted with the taller, more upright grasses behind it.
Fine flower stems appear during the summer, gradually fading to warm brown. It prefers full sun and well-drained soil and is very drought tolerant once established.
Verbena bonariensis
Verbena bonariensis is one of my favourite plants for adding height without creating a solid visual barrier. Its tall, slender stems carry clusters of purple flowers, but its open structure means you can still see the other plants behind it.
In Between Two Shores, it floated above and between the grasses, adding another layer of colour and movement. It also flowers over a long period and is loved by bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects.
Drought-tolerant planting can still feel abundant
A drought-tolerant garden doesn’t have to feel sparse or colourless. By combining grasses, flowering perennials, annuals and shrubs, it is possible to create a garden that feels generous, layered and full of life.
The variety in Between Two Shores came from different plant heights, flower shapes, foliage and textures rather than using a huge number of unrelated plants. Repeating key varieties helped the border feel connected, while the combination of strong structural plants and softer forms kept it natural and relaxed.
Bringing the ideas into your own garden
You don’t need to recreate the entire border to use some of these ideas at home. You could introduce one or two ornamental grasses to create movement, add Achillea or Eryngium to a sunny border, or use Verbena bonariensis to create height without blocking the plants behind it.
Low-growing plants such as creeping thyme, sea thrift and blue fescue can soften the front of a border, while evergreen shrubs such as Santolina and Brachyglottis provide structure when other plants have died back.
The most important thing is to understand the conditions in your garden and choose plants that will be happy there.
If you would like help creating a beautiful, resilient planting scheme for your own garden, I offer planting design as part of my garden design services across Hertfordshire and Essex.
Between Two Shores wouldn’t have been possible without the people and businesses who helped bring it to life.
A huge thank you to Hard Craft Landscaping, who built the border and helped turn the design into a finished garden.
Thank you to Plants Great Bardfield for supplying the plants, Trust Carpentry for creating the handmade bench from reclaimed oak, and Ashwells Reclaimed for supplying the reclaimed sea groynes.
Thank you also to the BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair for the opportunity and support, and to everyone who came to see the border, stopped for a chat or asked me about the plants.
Winning Gold was the perfect end to a very special project. Until next year...
Loved your garden! And now I have all the plant names so thank you very much! 🙏