I planned to garden but it is very wet out there, so have scanned the local paper for plants sales. There’s a good one on this morning fairly locally. 
I’m creating a new bed this year as my ‘best bed’ is no longer visible from my kitchen window (the extension hides it from me) so I’m planning to plant in front of the yew hedge. I know the roots will be pretty extensive, and I’m planning to put a path in along the hedge itself so I can get in to trim it later in the year and I’ll bring the bed out about 6 feet or so. The hose is currently marking a rough line for me.
Bearing in mind this is a great dark back drop for colour, any ideas for planting would be welcomed. The bed will face largely east-ish and gets a good amount of early sun.
Boadicea's Chariot 
The first thing is determine what type of style you want. English herbaceous, English bushes, French classic japanese. Get some pictures of borders you like, analyse them to understand what you like.Light maintenance, high maintenance, automatic watering or not, animals,; children. think about assets you have you want to keep, views plants and those that you want to get rid of hide, electric poles. Think about utility area keep the garden practical.
Then think of in terms of forms, you have put down a hose that is good. How about height? Which seasons will be important which ones less so. Evergreens or not. Time span, do you want it quickly or are you prepared to wait. Budget.
What about plants do you have any must have plants that you would like to integrate? Colours which colours harmonies do you likle dislike.
OK when you have done all that you can start selecting plants.Start making list on one side and a piece of graph paper and scale 1 for 100 on the other. Start putting the plants on the graph taking into account colour harmonies, flowering periods, height, shaape, leaf size evergreen or not and compose your picture. If you are arty or have an arty friend create a sketch so that you can best imagine it.We all tend to put too many plants, plan to remove some in three years.
OK you are done now you can work the ground integrate organic material buy the plants and plant up.
you think you got problems. i got caught 13 miles from home in the mother of all rainstorms. hasn’t let up since.
might a suggest a flower arrangement to celebrate the Buddhist deity Kuan Yin (you might know her as Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of compassion)
if you are planning something for the front garden, perhaps one of the wrathful deities might be more appropriate. you know, to stop people treading on it…
Thank you both for your very different approaches!
Nym, the faux frog even makes gardening a bore.
CO is your woman for ambitious herbaceous planting schemes, Pseu.
I’m just going out to weed in my waterproof. Herb Robert, though flowering prettily, is not supposed to be infesting the front border so he will be ruthlessly pulled up along with a thistle that’s been thumbing its nose at me for several days now.
Nym, does your second best bed have columbines, wild thyme and pied daisies?
From the odd pics I’ve seen of your garden I would have thought you have enough to look after!
Are you sure you want to do this? What with work and family to look after?
Nothing worse than a messy border!
It sounds to me that you are about to purchase plants on an adhoc basis from plant sales, not really the way to go, Moo is on the right track but maybe a little overprescriptive.
If you really want some help I wouldn’t presume to advise without a lot more info and pictures.
CO, overprescriptive! Nice word.
OK, I may have jumped in with both feet, but I have started digging out the bed today! I have been sort of planning this, in a non-specific way since last Summer, but the Autumn was taken up with bereavement and whatever. (The plant sale was really to find a few ‘fillers’ CO.)
I have few specific plants I know I want to put in, and have an idea of the effect I want. So maybe not specific planting scheme help wanted, but maybe a few of your favourite shrubs folks that I can look up and decide if they would fit? My soil is fairly neutral, very slightly chalky, so no to acid lovers.
I have a huge amount to do, but had to stop before dark, as my hands and shoulders couldn’t take any more turf removal and compost shifting.
Actually have just looked out and its raining again!
I have been surrounded this afternoon by bold birds enjoying the freshly turned over soil. The robins especially come so close!
I completely understand, Nym.
The kitchen is the one place in this house that has the best view of the garden, and since we all seem to spend a great deal of time in the kitchen then your new bed sounds a wonderful project.
We all have such individual tastes when it comes to plants and flowers so it is difficult to advise, but have fun! You can always change it, and if you have an idea of how you want it, then it is a good start.
May I ask what colours the bed is to have and do you want colour all the year etc? Do you want evergreens?
Get a bit more specific.
OK
I like the idea of white against the dark background, some colour all year, (so yes some evergreen) and I want mainly shrubs with some under planting. Lots of spring bulbs. Mini tulips perhaps? I’ve cut a large swathe: probably not in your terms, but for my garden!
I’ll measure up tomorrow, let you know the proportions. 🙂
There used to be lovely white herbaceous borders at Hidcote Manor Gardens, Pseu – Glos but your end of Glos. If you need inspiration 🙂
Good excuse to visit then, Janh1!
The bed is about 18 feet by 16 feet, in a rough right angled triangle.(with curved edge) All grass cleared off today. Composted bin emptied onto it and dug in. Shattered.
Ahaha!
a pocket handkerchief, will away and think about it!
Well it’s in proportion with the rest of the garden …..
Good work, Pseu. I was ripping down ivy from the house walls and cutting back Photinia to let a little more light on very fast-growing, strong paeonies!!
I had my doubts about Hidcote for a sec, there, thinking maybe I was mixing it up with Sissinghurst but no, there definitely is a white border at Hidcote 🙂
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://hearteng.110mb.com/gardens/hidcote-whiteborder.jpg&imgrefurl=http://hearteng.110mb.com/gardens/hidcote.htm&usg=__YdVRga7iY1E8Qj6tVllu3wLJVos=&h=257&w=360&sz=28&hl=en&start=6&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=HuasDi8aZU75vM:&tbnh=86&tbnw=121&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhidcote%2Bmanor%2Bgarden%2Bwhite%2Bborder%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1
ooohhh! Loverly. Thank you, Jan.
However I think I may attempt less of an herbaceous border: more shrubs with a bit of other for interest. It will be interesting to see what Christina suggests.
Will post thoughts overnight. I’m in the throes of planting a couple of hundred gladioli and its a bit bloody hot, just nipped in to rest the back and leave you a message that I’m thinking about it as I go!
Thank you!
CO is a soldier. It takes quite a lot of work to design a border well.
Just posted, it took a couple of hours to type up, tired going to bed!