The front and edges of borders are the perfect places to show off smaller perennials, shrubs, grasses and herbs at their best. Smaller plants help to soften the hard edges of a lawn, patio or decking, especially if allowed to informally spill over the edge of their planting site in cottage-garden fashion. Plants for the front of a border are also useful for hiding the bare stems of taller plants growing behind them. For more formal or contemporary gardens, tightly clipped, compact low hedges of box or yew plants work well. Some of the best perennials for the front of a border are agapanthus with its dramatic, large spherical flowers, heuchera with its interesting, colourful leaf forms and salvia with its beautiful, tightly packed tubular flowers in shades of reds, blues and yellows. Ground cover plants can also help bring colour and interest to bare patches of soil while heathers are ideal for acidic soils.