advice on front and id please

shiney · Jun 22, 2016

Just to give you some encouragement, we cleared out 22 conifers that were 40 years old, last March. The soil was in terrible condition but we put in garden compost and horse manure and planted it mainly with perennials.

March last year

By August it had got going quite well

And October (the plants on the fence are annuals and quick growers but no suitable in your bed)

These are Erysimum and Euphorbias mentioned above and this is the sort of size you can expect to buy them at. We were selling them in May at our open garden, so they may now be a bit bigger in the garden centres.

The Erysimum grows fairly quickly and this is one we planted in that bed last year.

They can flower most of the year but you give them a trim in the winter. By the third or fourth year thy can get a little bit woody so you should take cuttings each year (easy to do) and can plant those if you need to replace them.

This was one of the Euphorbias, planted last March, and by June it was like this

@merleworld suggested Choisya ternata and that' a very good suggestion. Something like Sundance would suit that bed as it likes sunny spots and is very bright and doesn't drop its leaves. There are lots of shrubs you can choose from. A good, local, garden centre should be able to give you advice. Talk to them, say you'll then need to discuss it with OH and then come on here ad check with us.

Linz · Jun 22, 2016

Thank you @shiney for posting the pics, lovely job and beautiful plants In love with your Erysimum. Going to have a gander this weekend, in the mean time lots of googling/browsing through catalogues, books and websites, will pick up some manure and the Mr is going to see if he can get off cuts of the stone and wood he's using in work, the more I think about it the more I want to tier it.

shiney · Jun 22, 2016

@Linz In my last photo there is a row of plants (Heuchera) with different coloured leaves. They would be suitable for your bed. There are lots of them different colour leaves that you can buy in the garden centres.

Re horse manure: you can usually get it for nothing from stables. They normally tell you to come along and dig it out yourself. Some old compost bags are good for putting it in.

Linz · Jun 22, 2016

Yes I love your dark one to the left and the bronze coloured one is very pretty too @shiney There were a few in a shop the other day but not much choice, I need to find a good nursery to get some pretty ones and at a decent size. Oh I wish I went to your open day!

I have a field behind with horses so hopefully I can pick some up there ..it might be a bit fresh though

I have found a site that supplies bare root and pot grown plants at different sizes at reasonable prices and they do the choisya ternata, will have a trip around some garden centres and have a good look at it first though

Anthony Rogers · Jun 22, 2016

Hi Linz,

Get a catalogue from J. Parkers ( wholesale ) Ltd.

The phone number is........
0161 848 1124

Don't be put off by the name, you don't have to buy loads.

The catalogues come out twice a year, Spring and Autumn but you get mini catalogues throughout the year with sales items.
They have a fantastic range of plants/bulbs /trees & shrubs.

Just had a quick look and they do about a dozen different Heucheras starting from 85p each. Something else that may interest you are Hardy Geraniums, they do more than 20 varieties starting at 60p each.

Linz · Jun 22, 2016

Cheers @Anthony Rogers I actually had a Parkers catalogue at the beginning of the year as I bought a buddliea from them last year but haven't had anything since. I'll have a look on their website now thanks for that, I'm guessing they will be quite small at 85p though

Anthony Rogers · Jun 22, 2016

Everything I've had off them has been big enough to flower in their first year.

They grow their plants in fields so they are well established when they're sent out, not plug plants.

Linz · Jun 22, 2016

All out of stock on the website except a mixed pack and a "midnight rose" and not 85p.. looks like a lot of things are out of stock actually. Nevermind!

Anthony Rogers · Jun 22, 2016

Sorry sweetheart, but if you go onto the website you will pay full retail prices.

That's why I said to order the wholesale catalogue due out in September.

Linz · Jun 22, 2016

No worries and thanks for the heads up

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advice on front and id please

shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

Linz Total Gardener

shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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