Help me plan a border please!!

Hello

I need help. This weekend we are finally digging a border after 7 years discussion about where it can go. The only place we can put it is against an east facing fence.

We live in a house which is 7 years old. We don't know what we will find under the lawn once we start digging.

I loved cottage gardens, perennials and traditional plants.

WHAT SHOULD I PLANT AND WHERE? The border is approximately 10 metres long and about 1.5metres deep. I had considered ordering some of those perennials kits which tell you what to plant but it seems a little impersonal.

Can you help with a border plan for a complete beginner?

Thanks

Helly

 

Hi Helly

I went through a similar process 2 years ago, starting with no knowledge of plants. The great thing is that you do not have to get it absolutely right. The plants themselves will make it look nice. You should treat the first year as a practice run. Put in almost any plants anywhere. A year later you will you will have a much better idea of what you want. In my case, the following spring, I dug up every plant and replanted the border leaving out some and adding others. It is so easy with perennials. There are some pictures in the picture gallery.

I bought some cut price books with nice pictures in. I thumbed through a lot of pictures of gardens that did not impress me - formal gardens with straight lines and chromium. But there were some that I really liked. These were of borders of hardy perennials, close packed in the pink, blue and purple range. So I adopted that as my style.

Because of the number of plants needed, I decided to grow most from seed. And I only bought ones that would not come true from seed. I found a book that had a list of long flowering perennials in the back, and bought 24 packets of seed from catalogues. Almost all were first year flowering. When ready I planted them in clumps or drifts, keeping taller ones at the back and mixing the colours.

Best value I found to be :- Centranthus flowered 27 weeks last year, Astrantia Hadspen Blood 22 . Geranium Ann Folkard 22. Circium Rivulare 20 . Verbena Rigida 20. Helenium Moorheim Beauty 18. Verbena Bonariensis 17 Achillea Terracotta 17 etc.

Hope this helps.

 

PeterS's advice is good. Half the fun is moving things around. Ive rarely come across a garden that is finished and there is always room for improvement. I wouldnt go out and buy enough to fill up all the space as you will quickly run out of space as the plants grow. Lots of perennials can be split so one little plant this year could be split into lots of new ones in a couple of years. A good way of finding out what will do well in your garden is to take a walk around your area and see what is growing well in neighbours gardens. Peters advice on growing from seed is also good but in this first year i would try to get the soil right by digging in as much well rotted compost or manure as you can, do some research to decide what you like and what will do well in your area and make use of fast flowering annuals. Sow now and you will have flowers by June ish. Hope thats some help.

Cloudy

 

Mrs Cloudy is right. The very beginning is the ideal opportunity to do something about the soil, because you are in no danger of digging anything up.

Try to find out what kind of soil you have, try asking the neighbours, or just see what grows well in their garden and then look in a book and see what soil it likes.

I am on sticky clay, so I added a ton of 10 mil gravel (�£26 from builders merchant). Sounds a lot, but it does not go far and its much cheaper that in small bags from a garden centre. I have since learnt that they do a much wider range than you can see in their yard. And as Mrs Cloudy says lots of organic matter.

PeterS

 

Long Reply, Lol! OK... Cottage Garden Designs ââ?¬â?? use low growing white flowers & grey-leaved plants at each end of the border. Build up through pale pinks & pale blues, then deeper blues & pinks, to hottest & brightest red & orange in middle of border. Why? Well this way itââ?¬â?¢s natural relaxing progression for eye & brain. Alternatively, using orange/red at ends & white in middle will always look ââ?¬Å?uncomfortableââ?¬Â & always seem to ââ?¬Å?jarââ?¬Â.

Six of the Best - the following are all long-lived, easy to grow, & free flowering over many months (that makes them better than 99.9% of the rest) ââ?¬â??

Aster frikartii Monch
Clematis texensis Gravetye Beauty
Clematis cirrhosa balearica.
Geranium wallichianum Buxton�s Blue
Rose Graham Thomas
Anemone japonica Honorine Jobert

The above & the following are all plants I�ve grown over several decades, in many situations (inc. poorly drained London clay),� they�re are NOT things I�ve chosen from books (that�s mostly a waste of time, as I�ve learnt to my cost over 30 years). Please excuse any spelling errors in plant names � take too long to check it all.

Low growing (border ends/front) ââ?¬â?? geranium Buxtonââ?¬â?¢s Blue, geranium Mavis Simpson, Viola cornuta Alba, London Pride (Saxifraga Urbium), Dianthus Mrs Sinkins, Convolvulus sabatious (syn C.mauritanicusââ?¬Â¦ in flower May-Oct), Hakonechloa macra Albo-aurea (yellow grass), Campanula muralis Resholt, Campanula Dicksons Gold, Campanula Stella/Constellation (invasive!).

Medium heights ââ?¬â?? Geranium endresii Wargrave Pink (v.v.easy), Geranium ibericum (v.v.easy), Geranium Johnsons Blue, Geranium Kashmir Purple/Pink/White, Geranium Roxanne, Day Lilly Pink Damask, Day Lilly Hyperion, Day Lilly Buzz Bomb (or Stafford), Aster frikartii Monch, Agapanthus, Crocosmia Star of the East, Crocosmia Emily Mckenzie, Salvia superba East Friesland, Achillea Moonshine, Geranium psilstemon, Anthemis E.C. Buxton, Euphorbia Fireglow (or Dixter).

Tall Plants (middle of border) ââ?¬â?? Anemone japonica (white & pink forms), Crocosmia Lucifer, Alstroemeria Ligtu Hybrids tall forms in scarlet & orange, Echinops ritro, Papaver orientalis Goliath (syn Beauty of Livermore), Delphiniums from Blackmore & Langdon (via post), Lupins & Foxgloves (both short lived, replant each year), Acanthus spinosus, Lythrum Firecandle, tall forms of Agapnathus, Euphorbia palustris (or wulfenii or characias).

You might want to mix in some evergreen shrubs, ie for year round interest, eg ââ?¬â?? Choisya ternata Sundance, Lavender, Cistus Peggy Sammons (or Silver Pink or Warley Rose), Hebe Midsummer Beauty. If you have room for really tall shrubs, then Ceanothus Concha and Cotinus Grace (not evergreen, but great foliage) .

Cover fences & trellis top to bottom with Clematis, Honeysuckle & Roses (for colour & scent etc.), eg summer Clematis like Perle du Azur, Jackmanii, Comptesse de Bouchaud, Bluebell (viticella form), Madame Julia Correvon (vit.), Gravetye Beauty (texensis); spring forms C.macropetalla Rosy Oââ?¬â?¢Grady, Lagoon, Floralia; C.alpina Frances Rivis, Columbine; winter form C.cirrohsa balerica (in flower Nov ââ?¬â??April). Honeysuckle Belgica, Japonica (& others). Roses ââ?¬â?? Graham Thomas, Erfurt, Mme Gregoire Staechelin, Margret Merril, rugosa Blanc Double De Coubert, Heritage.

For winter interest, underplant everywhere with Muscari & dwarf daffodils.

Ian.

 

Wow! Thanks for all your help. This looks fantastic. Your reply will form the backbone of our shopping list.
Helly