A general rule, unless the garden is very spacious or formal, is to avoid a ruler-straight front edge. A gentle to boldly sweeping curve, easily laid out with a garden hose, is best even along a fence, and the border can taper as it recedes from the main viewing point if an effect of distance is desired. The deeper the curve the slower the eye moves and the greater will be the visual enjoyment. A border outlined with bricks or flat stones set flush with the soil is better than a steeply cut lawn edge which must be trimmed after mowing. Even the advanced gardener finds it advantageous to plan a border to scale on graph paper.
Drifts are elongated groupings of a plant that flow through sections of the border.
Clumps consist of circular groupings of a variety, or a single large plant such as a peony. The length of drifts and the diameter of clumps, as well as their heights, should be varied for best effect, and the dimensions should always be in proportion to the overall size of the border. Establish plants in groups large enough to form masses of color or texture. As a rule, five to seven plants will create the desired effect. Each group of flowers should have an irregular shape.