Early summer to late flowering transitions

My herbaceous border it coming along nicely after a couple of years, new to gardenning I am now trying to find out how to plant flowers with different flowering times together.

I really don't even know how to ask the question!!

Situation 1 - I have a group of Centaurea, about 8 of them, which give a wonderful display till about now. I have chopped them to the ground and they will flower again later. Does anyone know if there is anything I can plant with them which will fill the 3 week period till they regrow? I am looking for a pereniel that will perform year after year - but I don't know where to start, whatever I plant will be shaded when the centaurea is bushed out but will get sun in spring, and when I cut things back. Is there a solution in gardenning for this sort of problem?

Situation 2 - my delphiniums and lupins are also getting the chop and mostly they reflow for me, some don't. I am thinking of planting Campanula Lactiflora in between them, which should flow later this month onwards. Will this work, or will they just get too much shade from the grown lupins and delphiniums?

Thanks and sorry for such a clumsy question!

 

Bump.....

 

Hi @MartinB I think bulbs of some sort might be your best bet if the plants are close together. Something like primulinus gladioli or watsonia would pop up between them. But the flowering time might not match the gap you are talking about every year! Campanula lactiflora is capable of withstanding the other plants I think!

 

Hi @MartinB , thanks for bumping this up, it disappeared somewhere and I think it's a good question.

My small garden means that everything is visible all the time so plants either need to be long performers, or take turns to avoid boring gaps. In practise my trials of timed flowering rota always fails as plants just flower when they wish, depending on the general conditions. Trust early Daffodils and late Tulips to compromise and flower neatly together

My latest trial is foxgloves (early summer flowering) underplanted with Gladioli (typically in flower in August). I have now chopped the foxgloves down and mulched the Gladioli, but the overplanting shaded and crowded the gladis so that they are mere strands of foliage slowly gathering momentum.

Possibly this is the case with most combinations, the first plants to perform will set the secondary ones back so it will take some time for them to start growing and flowering well.

One option I have considered is to grow annuals in small pots and when a perennial gets a chop, just plop them in to have some colour until the second growth gets going.

Looking forward to hearing any ideas and experiences from the knowledgeable folks in the forum

 

Apologises I totally missed this question.

In my opinion its not to fill in the gap till they regrow the trick is to hide them until they regrow or draw attention away from it.

I am not sure on the positioning you have the Lupin and Delphinium , but a lupin s middle/ back herbaceous plant and delphinium is for the back .

Example for the delphinium planting partnership - ( rear )delphinium - ( middle ) Persicaria / Phlox / Helenium / monarda / dahlias / peony / Aster / large geranium species / Achillea / echinops etc and then a Foreground plant Salvia / geranium / astrantia / hosta / geums nepeta etc .

Same same can apply with a lupin but I'd have it in the middle of a border with plants to the rear veronciastrum / phlox / selinum / large rudbeckia / eupatorium / grasses / selenium / thalictrums etc , but not a delphinium that's usually the queen of a herbaceous border to much attention it can be done still but the colours show compliant each other like Delphinium Galahad / blue variety will look great with Lupin Governor it not smething I'd personally do and its a huge gap when you chop back.

My delphinium is hidden by a Persicaria but I've planted a Hydrangea paniculata behind the delphinium so when I cut it back the Hydrangea is visible when its not far off flowering. I don't cut lupins back but mine gets swapped after flowering by a geranium ann folkland that scrambles over it and the large Ligularia leaves cover it also.

Campanula laciflora wouldn't work with delphiniums the lap over it a matter of a couple of weeks ( it is here anyway ) from when they both finish flowering , and it a big plant it can get as large as a delphinium and they have lax habit which will swamp and regrowing delphinium . It would work the the rear of a lupin better , campanula .L can be deadheaded for another flush .

 

My strategy is to plant wherever there is some empty soil left. Seems to work, as there is always something in full bloom.