This client hired me in the middle of a perennial garden design and installation after deciding that her landscape designer would not be able to complete it to her satisfaction. Ultimately, because she had put her garden on tour, she felt panicked. I told her I would work with what her other designer had ordered and design on the fly. We pulled it off and she was happy.
After the season was over, I had time to redesign her perennial bed. I wanted to repeat forms and colors throughout the beds to give the garden unity because unity helps move your eye through the garden. I used very few annuals, and the ones that I did use would eventually reseed. I wanted to ensure there would always be something in bloom or something of interest. That is my philosophy on perennial garden beds and with landscape design in general. I included many different kinds of herbs in this bed as well. We have Thyme growing between the stepping stones, and Golden Sage, Golden Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, and Basil.
As is true of all garden beds, this one also needs annual tweaking. Most of the annuals reseed but need to be edited and some do actually need to be replanted each year.