Advice on a new planting scheme

Hi,

I have recently sorted out the front garden of our new home, it was entirely lawned initially, so to make it low maintenance (525sqm back garden to maintain...) we have laid a raised sleeper bed as seen on the photo below. There was some hawthorn hedging which I have replaced with a more friendlier Privet hedge on the left. The soil on the lower part will eventually get block paved so all planting will be contained within the raised area.



In front of the privets, in the long thinner section, we quite like the idea of Lavender & heathers, would this work?

As mentioned, we would like to keep it as low maintenance as possible, I'm thinking of mostly evergreens but only have a base knowledge to work from and need advice on what plants to plant in the area to the back of the photo (3x4m). Taller plants at the back cascading down to smaller plants in the foreground, nothing too fancy or slow growing.

Plants I like the look of are: Aucuba, Photinia Red Robin, Hosta, Juniperus Blue Star to give you and idea... quite like the thought of using grasses too.

The soils is generally good quality loamy with clay a foot or so down but the soil used to fill the bed was all loamy.

Any advice is welcome, sorry if it's a bit rambly, it's been a long day .

Eric

 

Ha ha Eric, lavendar was going to be my suggestion.
A complete lavender hedge.....mine here has been in full flower for weeks now and the scent is fabulous. Billowing blue flowers ....wonderful.

Heathers and lavendar !?? I like heathers but I don’t think they do much for each other.

I would get the lavendar hedge in then see what space you have but I like persicarias. Tallish, low maintenance, long flowering (from mid July through to October) and easy. Go for the amplexicaulis varieties like Firetail or Blackfield. Red spires will compliment the blue flowers of the lavender. I grow several varieties so will post some pictures of them.
Grasses compliment persicarias perfectly.

Less is more there I think Eric ....I wouldn’t squeeze lots of different plants in there.

 

Thanks for the reply & sorry for the late response...

Lavender is in & have gone for Spotted Laurel, Variegated Hebes, Emerald Gaiety & some box.