Hi All, My boundary at the front is lined with a conifer hedge, not what I'd choose but it's there & don't have any plans to change it just yet. We had a pile of wood infront of it for a while which killed the grass, a few weeks ago I moved the pile of wood (it was driving me crazy) I'm now left with a dirt patch see photo below; I'm wondering if anything would grow in front of the conifer hedge? I was wondering about prehaps planting some rodedenrums, lavender & planting some bulbs. What do you think?
Rhododendrons should do OK there Beckie, assuming you have acidic soil? Needles from the conifer hedge will help. Lavender and bulbs will look good too.
Thanks for your help @JWK , I thought I could dig in some ericacious compost to help with the acidity . Best I get my spade out at the weekend & get digging! I've never been pleased with that part of the garden, it looks ok just grass but I think it just needs a bit of colour to lift it.
Only snag with planting Rhododendrons in front of the hedge is that they like plenty of moisture and I'd imagine it will be very dry in the area with the conifer hedge taking all the water. Lavender should be ok and bulbs fine. I have loads of Aconites and Snowdrops growing close to a sizeable conifer which would give pretty much the same growing conditions as your hedge BUT there is very little else which will grow within about 5 ft of the conifer other than bulbs and 2 Rhododendrons I had planted close by I had to move. Some hardy Geraniums will grow close but most other summer performers aren't happy. This is despite living in Scotland where ok we live in a drier part but unlikely to be as dry as Suffolk? If you do decide to give some Rhododendrons (my favourite) a go then would strongly suggest you mulch them to conserve moisture.
Hi @silu, thanks for your reply. I'm desperate for some rodedenrums they are so pretty, I really don't have much other space in the garden to grow them. The area in front of the conifer hedge has always been so boring & to make matters worse it's the view from the front window of my dining room! I tried growing a climbing rose but that was a total disaster! I've moved it but it's not flowered at all this year! What have you grown in front of your conifer hedge?
I've found Hydrangeas and Hardy Fuchsias do well in front of my Conifer hedge. I've also planted Kerria japonica which was a mistake because its a real thug, I've gradually been digging that out.
Thanks @JWK, I shall certainly try a hardy fuchsia or two , those with some lavender, bulbs & prehaps a Rhodedendrum will give me quite a lot of colour through the season & I could of course fill in the gaps with some bedding plants . Hydrangeas are beautiful too, (there was a really sick one in the garden when we moved in, Id just got it into leaf & mother in law interfered with it ....cut it back & that was the end of that! I was so cross! She's not as much as looked at another plant in my garden since! ). Decisions decisions! Once I've decided what plants to try I shall let you know & post some photos
Apart from bulbs I could see that Hardy Cyclamen would do fine and I think JWK's suggestion of Hardy Fuchsias would be good too. My Hydrangeas like a fair dose of moisture but JWK "knows his onions"! so I'd expect his advice to be sound. If you go for Spring bulbs, JWK's suggestions and Cyclmen then that is just about the whole period from Spring to Autumn covered. Oh yes I've just remembered I have Autumn Crocus flowering atm close to my very large Conifer and they don't mind it being bone dry most of the time during the summer. If the area is very sunny/South facing you could also give some of the Iris family a go. I have quite a few Flag /Foetidissima Iris growing in similar conditions to what you will have close to the hedge. They don't mind pretty starved and dry growing conditions. A very knowledgeable gardener told me years ago to never feed or cosset Iris as they will grow loadsa leaves and b all flowers...I found his advice spot on so refrain from piling high where they grow with my non stop supply of horse manure.
Hi Beckie, Hardy Fuchsias would do well there. We have a conifer about 20' high, we cut all the lower branches off to about 4' and underneath we have several Fuchsias plus one that climbs up into it. For colour this time of year have you thought if Tricyrtis ( Toad Lily ).
Hi @longk the front garden faces south East. Hi @Anthony Rogers, oh that's a good idea, I had a toad lily in the back garden but I lost it, there's quite a few of them in the Parkers catalogue (not that I know what's on every page....I've hardly looked at it!!!! ) xx
Ideal spot to try some Salvia or other borderline hardy plants as the conifers should (as previously said) keep the ground fairly dry and it's a spot that is fairly sheltered from NE winds. Tricyrtis formosana is fairly tolerant of dry conditions but other species are less forgiving. Commelina will be hardy in this spot - good for the front of the area................ Comes in blue and white forms............. Some Salvia to try include; Black and Blue................. S.patens............. And S.atrocyanea................
Thanks @longk, I love all of those suggestions , just need some dry weather now so I can get digging thanks very much for your help
I have made progress..... It looks quite small on the photo . Anyway I think I should be able to get a good selection of plants in there
