2014 - The planning begins!

Good idea

My main flower border is too packed for my liking. I intend on a big thinning out of the Buddleia, phlox etc and then maybe popping in some bedding plants to give a bit more variety with colour etc. The previous owners seemed to like pinks and purples as there's a lot there, so I'm going to shake it up a bit

I'm also wanting to make my rockery look less alpine; any suggestions as to what plants I could put in? There's a waterfall cascade running down the middle and miniature trees etc at the back and side which I'll be keeping.

 

Begonias are a good idea FC - I grew B. Illuminations Apricot this year (twin pack £19.99 for 96 plants) - took their time but they are really "doing it" now - and I am hoping at the end of the season they will produce small corms which can be dried used again next year.


S

 

Even if its just temporary bedding plants, I want more than just samey I don't like plants to take over either, I may have to be quite brutal

 

I am hoping to win the Euro-Millions tonight so I can employ someone to come and do all mine!!

But in truth, I'll continue to fill my biggest border with Perennials, adding in Cosmos, Calendula, Zinnia and other annuals to fill remaining gaps. My bottom bed will continue with the Dicentra, hardy Geranium, and Hosta, possibly adding some Ox-Eye daisys for height at the back as my garden slopes away from the house by about 2 ft.

The new beds out the front, have been planted with annuals this year, very late (only 4 weeks ago, all raised from seed), but I am hoping to have Perennials to mostly fill them, again adding annuals to fill the inevitable gaps from having young perennial plants.

My rockery area (ie The patch where I put all the big Boulders I have dug out over the years, the land was Quarried before the houses were built in the mid 60's and has some lovely Northamptonshire stone) is due for a refurb, I have to move the Crocosmia that lives in the front of it, and I am planning a water feature at the back of it up against the wall.

The boundry wall will hopefully get a Clematis growing on it to soften and enhance it's concrete and wood look.

And then there is.............. so much more to do, but that can wait for the next time I post in this thread.

Steve

 

For me, only some more hight in the large border. I don't know what yet, but something not too wide. Another tree fern perhaps, or a Trachy? Summer colour wise, much of the same, as a lot now are perennial, but for spring, lots of tulips, and I mean Lots!

Of course, another small sculpture of some sort. The big giraffe? Lol!

Also, I want to lay a small patio at the bottom of the garden where the bench is, i don't know whether to use decking or some sort of stone though? I also want to make a living wall after seeing a couple. I'm off to southport flower show this year so I might pick up some ideas their.

If I had the space and the money and the time, I'd love to do lots of different styles in one garden. Oh, one can dream.........

 

My plans for next year
Maybe extend the so called tropical bed to fit in some more plants
Hedychium Assam orange and tara, more cannas and a musa basjoo and
Ensete ventricosum and some dahlia bishop of llandaff
Might sow some Swiss chard too for foilage effect
Bedding wise will try some of those begonia boliiveinsis.
Going to try the f1 marigolds and another go at coleus (I'm useless at these)
Might give Mimulus a whirl too.
Going to try nasturtium again next year. But going to use this years compost and sweep the road outside and mix that in (apperantly they like poor soil)
That about it really oh and there's winter bedding first

 

I've put something that looks very like Begonia boliiveinsis in the tubs this year. Its a harp red colour and I think very eye catching, and the flowering has been prolific even thought he tubs have not had any TLC (busy with other things this year, so garden is taking a bit of a back seat).

 

Thx for the very kind offer @fat controller but I'm going to try these next year http://www.molesseeds.co.uk/flower_..._uk/Products_Mixed__de_tailed_seed__1298.html.

 

Plans for next year eh?

Well, I need to plant more willow to thicken up the existing structures. Some floral displays for the main play area (its a bit scruffy at the moment).

I'm mulling over a couple of projects. Well 3 to be precise.

1. I need an underground tunnel to cross the garden.
2. I want to make a bottle house, but for that I need to somehow acquire about 1000 empty 2 litre pop bottles.
3. A willow climbing tower. This is going to be a fair old challenge, because willow is very, very flexible. I need to work out how I can make it rigid enough to climb. Got a few ideas.