6' X 3' empty flower bed - help please

Hi

I am a fairly novice gardener and have an empty flower bed in a north facing garden which I would like to fill. Last year I just filled it up with petunias and nicotiana, which were colourful and mostly survived the massive slug and snail population round here but I'd like to do something different. I think I've left it a bit late this year but would like to put some perennials in that will be colourful, not too high and be hardy enough to survive the snails etc. The soil's not brilliant. It's quite stoney. Can anyone make any suggestions please?

Many thanks.

 

Perennials would be a great idea!

You want to look for things like bergenias, that keep their leaves in winter, hellebores, that 'flower' in winter. There are lots of things that would adapt to a shady spot, I'll have a think of some more!

erm....astilbies, they tend to get munched, as do hostas, but the odd one or two could perhaps be guarded with pellets. There are bleeding hearts, solomons seal, ladys mantle, japanese anenomes, I could go on!

There are plenty of people on here who will be able to help with your question, I've just given you a few of my favourites!

Hope this Helps!

 

Evening

How much sun does it get or is it mainly shady?

 

It's got sun right now! It gets sun late afternoon early evening. I'm looking for some plants with colour. That's why I went for annuals before but would like to do something different. This may give you an indication of what grows here - most of the cottages on my side of the road, although I'm on a corner and at the top of a hill so I get slightly more sun than they do, seem to have mostly pieris and azaleas. One or two have monbretia.

 

Oh, yes. Camelias do OK here too.

 

Perennials sound like a good idea then - there are plenty of late flowering ones still available in garden centres, but Montbretia (Crocosmia), Asters (dwark variety), Anemones, Lychnis, Rudbeckia all spring to mind.

 

Hi Patti you can't go far wrong with a couple of Pinks, Hardy Geraniums, Salvia (towards the back of the border) or Lavender to name but a few! Hel.xxx.