Which Plants To Plant

Hi,

Does gardening ever reach an end? I thought it did until I wanted to change something

Well, my waterfall that was built last year looks a right mess this year, as the right side of it was all planted with Alpines (22 to be exact) but most of them didn't survive the winter. I went for alpines, because the waterfall is south facing and the soil is built up, so thought it wouldn't retain the water that well.

As you will see from the photo that on the left side of the waterfall I've got 2 ferns and an Acer on top, which are doing great. You'll see on the right is a big bush, which I've now dug out as it was lemon mint that I didn't plant.

What I'd like to do with the waterfall is to replant it with plants like hostas, small style ferns, carnivorous plants, grasses, heucheras, etc, to make it more tropical/wetland/wood/japanese type of feel. I'll keep the acer & ferns where they are and fill in the gaps. The soil does get the sun from about 9am to 3pm until the fence starts blocking the sun. For some reason the soil retains the water a lot and I think its because we used the soil from the pond hole to form the mound and it was like clay.

If my idea was possible, would these type of plants be suitable and would they create the effect? If not, then what would you suggest?

I've also got a low growing bamboo in the back on the right of the watefall and i've got a little pot of black bamboo, which needs planting.

Cheers,

Calum

 

For a start why not look at more varieties of the things that have done well? There are loads of ferns in different shapes and sizes, similarly with Acers
Is it possible to add some alpine grit or vermiculite at the top to improve drainage? a lot of alpines don't mind cold but they do like good drainage. I think it might be a bit sunny for hostas, and a lot of them can grow quite large, you would have to pick some small ones. The bamboo might be ok at the base , but again will grow large if it thrives.
For a quick fix you could try Lysimachia Nummularia, a bit of a thug but easy to remove excess, and Houttuynia, there are several that like wet soil and will even grow in water.
hope this helps

 

ferns and hostas may struggle on a south facing bed as they prefer shade ... some yellow leaved hostas prefer a sunnier position

for the back trellis, look at something like an evergreen star jasmine

plant perhaps 2 - chaemerops humils fan palms ... they only grow 6-8 feet tall, but grow slow ... if you opt for these, perhaps wait till spring before planting, as we are late in the year, and may have another cold winter ... by planting in spring, it will give them several months to 'settle' before the cold sets

musa basjoo (banana) can be planted, but they will die down in winter and will need some protection ... they grow fast though in spring

if you opt for 2 palms, plant an acer (japanese maple) in the centre of the 2 palms, but do your research, as some acers prefer sun and some don't

another alternative is to build a structure over the bed and cover with evergreen creepers (such as the star jasmine) ... this may provide extra shade, then you can plant ferns/hostas/tree ferns etc

japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra Aureola) prefers a shadier position, but I have planted these in sun and they do well ... if planted in a sunnier position, just water more frequent in spring/summer ... I love these and they are one of my favourite plants

heuchera for colour, but do your research and find out which do best in the sun etc

keep us updated, and good luck!

 

Thanks for this, I thought I'd get great help. I'll research the plants you've suggested and report back if & when I've finished

Calum