These are the steps I take in preparing and creating a genuine herbaceous border that is purely dedicated to herbaceous plants and does not include the planting of shrubs, but can include using bulbs or annuals to help with all year-round colour.Before starting work it is important to plan the overall size of the border; one tip – if anything, go for as much width as possible, because one must try to imagine what the border will look in three years; and trust me, there will never be enough space! The more depth to a border the more luxurious it will be. When it has matured, the large open spaces you started with will have gone and you will find yourself having to remove some of the original plants to make room for exiting new acquisitions. Of course, this is why we do it, to provide a template on which proactol to experiment with new plants and planting schemes. The perennial border will start off as a project and very quickly become an obssesion. Remember when choosing the plants for the border, think about foliage and form. Visit some of our great gardens. Kew for example, has a perennial border half a mile long and twenty feet deep. If that doesn’t give you inspiration I don’t know what will!Step one Eradicate all perennial weeds and really do make sure the soil is totally free of them. Most are easily removed but if you are unlucky and have infestations of bindweed or horsetails, then you will have to use herbicide (roundup), using a few applications to weaken them and even then they will probably return with a vengeance.Step two Double dig the ground to give a good depth of topsoil for the plants roots.