Two Large Full Sun Beds.....what to plant?

Hi folks, pretty new here. Be gentle lol

Finally finished my deck and it has two beds either side of the Stepdown. Each measures around 2.4x0.8m and I'm stumped for what to plant. Normally I'd just walk around the garden centre and go...."ooooh that't nice" but this time. Some thought needs to go in.

What I think is something tall, shrub maybe at the back of each bed to grow up against the deck rails. Then a mix of bright perennials and bedding to provide colour all summer .

What suggestions would you guys have? They get sun from around 9am till 8pm in the summer.

I was thinking maybe eunonymous alatus or weigela of some sort towards the back but hey, just a beginner so suggestions welcome.

 

Hiya hmitnangel and welcome

Sounds very nice what you have done so far.

How about something scented there? Philadelphus has wonderful scent during June. Honeysuckle too to grow up against the rails. And a choisya....evergreen, aromatic foliage and delightfully scented flowers. For foliage colour Cotinus Royal Purple is superb and loves as much sun as possible. Ok, pretty common but buddleia davidii grows fast, with white, red or purple flowers to attract loads of bees and butterflies.

Perennials? One or two verbena bonariensis......tall and flowers for months and almost see through. Echinaceas, agastaches like Black Adder (all summer flowering on 4' to 6' stems) and Blue Boa, a bit shorter but just as floriferous. Lavendar too.....I would always plant lavendar in a sunny garden. Baptisia Australis is lovely for sun.....some great varieties available now like Dutch Chocolate and Lemon Meringue but the basic blue is a beauty too. They are quite tall with gentle pea like foliage to contrast with other plants. Salvias like Amistad, the microphylla types and the patens type as well as the hard varieties. How about silver, tactile, aromatic artemisia Powys Castle? Grasses like stipa tennuissima, elymus magellanicus, festucas but consider the very tall stipa Gigantea, another see through plant providing a majestic, moving, rustling image all summer.

I would also plant the white highly scented Lillium Regale......scent wafts around the garden in June and July.

Cosmos is a must.....a group of white would be excellent alongside the purple Cotinus. Or the tall almost white grass miscanthus variegatus to contrast with it.

 

Thanks Verdun. That's a lot to take in.

Absolutely no planting has taken place yet. Still to.finish the groundwork for the grass to get seeded. Once that's done, and back from hols.....it'll be planting madness going on.

Oddly Philadelphus and Viburnum were two I liked for the tall shrubs at the back. Also weigela of some sort could be nice.

I'm all for scents and colours. Especially around the deck.

Along the wall, I'll prob go with wave petunias. They should hang over nice.

 

Most importantly where in the country are you? It makes a difference to what will thrive.

Secondly, 2.4 x 0.8 metres is not that large so don't get too carried away.

Thirdly, how maintenance free (or not) do you want it to be?

Finally, what sort of soil do you have there?

 

Central Scotland is whwre we are. I know it's not huge, but I do want them full of colour. I don't mind maintenance of them .....I love the garden. Soil wise, currently not the greatest. Before planting, happy to do what's needed. The subsoil is clay but the drainage is reasonable and we get no standing water any longer. If anything needs adding to the beds first then I'm all for it.

 

So unless you're at altitude your winter lows are probably not dissimilar to mine here in the Cotswolds?

Then shrubs are probably not the best idea as they tend to have a specific (limited) bloom period. Maybe a good hardy Fuchsia, a Jasmine and perennial Sweet Pea arch and bulbs/corms/tubers for all the seasons.
Jasmine arch.................


Fuchsia magellanica.............
Fuchsia magellanica by longk48, on Flickr

Fuchsia magellanica by longk48, on Flickr

Fuchsia "Hawkshead" by longk48, on Flickr

Fuchsia by longk48, on Flickr

Hemerocallis citrina is a lovely fragrant day Lily for late spring/early summer. It can spread a bit though............
Hemerocallis citrina by longk48, on Flickr

Lillies..............
Lilium martagon by longk48, on Flickr

Lilium michauxii? by longk48, on Flickr

Lilium formosanum var.pricei by longk48, on Flickr

Handy if you go with the Jasmine arch!

Dig in some sand/grit and horse shino and you should be good to go.