Bit of fun ... help me design my new Purple border

PH, no idea, only moved in 6 months ago, ought to test that didnt I

Soil very heavy, very clay (after the top 3"). However my plan is to double dig as much as I can (once the trees are gone and the border is bare) and incorporate grit, lots of horse poo, compost, etc before I start planting ... i.e. do as much as I reasonably can to improve it.

The 6' fence to the side (which does run north south, and yes the border faces west) shelters it a fair amount, but we do get a lot of wind whistling in from the north it seems (first winter here as I say, finding things out as I go !)

Quite happy to have some maintenance (within reason)

 

Very pretty, like that, never thought to use it in a "run" like that

 

Thanks for the considered input Madahhlia, that's why I'm asking on the forum, to get as many inputs as I can ! To answer your points ...

Tones : yeah, this could be quite tricky. To be honest I'm not all that good with colours, so some of this might be suck it and see and throw out what doesnt work ! This is why a lot of the border at this stage will be annuals, partly to fill it out whilst the shrubs are small, but also if it doesnt work then dont do that next year What started me off with this whole purple border thing was an episode of Gardeners World a few months back where they had exactly this ... a purple border (with the odd bit of white) ... but where purple was every shade of "purple" going, including lots of pinks, bluey-purples and so on.

Yellow : the reason why I chose white as a contrasting colour is that my other long border which runs east west and is in full sun (if you can make it out, it's on my profile pic) is FULL of yellow, almost to the point it's silly. I wanted something different, and not yellow ! I want to 'enrich' the yellow border with other colours (might make it a 'hot' border), but that's another job entirely. Also like you say, white is more visible at dusk, and this border is looked out at from the rear of the living room and we dont draw the curtains.

Thanks for the colour wheel, I'll have a squint at that ...

Sweet rocket looks good at a very quick glance, another for the consideration list !

 

i'd like to recommend gaura lindheimeri whirling butterflies, perovskia blue spire, lavandula angustifolia and buddleia davidii purple emperor.

 

Hi Evil Len,
Lovely idea! I also appreciate that *dim*'s post was kindly accompanied with photos, and not just an A-Z alphabetical list, which I had to google myself (and the effort is worth it! )

Now, some first-hand experience with purple shades. These all come from my garden (Hope the pics fit in size.)

Phlox, quite tall though, perennial, don't know the variety. A wide range of varieties and colours are available, including dawrf sizes.


Spiraea salicifolia, perennial shrub


Buddleja davidii 'Black knight'


David Austin rose 'Rhapsody in blue'


Monarda didyma


Hosta (the variety name escapes me again). This location proved too sunny for it, so it's divided and moved to shadier spots now.


Lilium 'Netty's pride', bulb, perennial, height 0.70 m - 1.00 m


Azalea japonica (ground cover rhododendron) var. 'Blue Danube'. Semi-evergreen, beautiful autumn folliage, blooms profusely at the end of spring or early in the summer. The soil in my garden is acid in general, but this group of rhododendrons are planted in soil with 7.5 pH (slightly alcaline) and there is no problem. They rather enjoy their location. Need no protection in winter, love moisture and dapple shade or part sun.

In autumn:


Tulipa Negrita


My modest crocuses. I increased their community with other nuances last autumn and hope to see them come out in early spring.


I have a campanula like the one shown above, but haven't seen it in blossom. I will not repeat other suggestions, but you may also try:
Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diablo'. A perrenial shrub. I have it, but it's a young plant and hasn't bloomed yet.




Clerodendrum bungei, popular name: Mexican hydrangea, perennial shrub. I took this picture in the Botanical Garden in Brussels, but I also have it in my garden. New to me and is still establishing itself. Predisposed to growing sideways, through suckers. But very showy in full bloom:


And I'll try this one from seed, but you may be lucky to find potted plants in your country:

Lavatera arborea var. variegata


Edit: Forgot to add this one: Heliotropium arborescens 'Marine'. It's also on my wishlist.

Good luck and share how it's going!

 

lovely pics angelina

 

herewith something .... I only spent about 10min on it as I'm in a rush to see a client in a few min, so never checked the scale etc!

 

*dim*, I really find your ideas inspiring! I'm still at the stage of wild curiosity and in a process of amassment of a plant collection with no designing concept behind.
The harmony of colours and shapes you offer has such a civilising and mildly disciplining effect on me, thank you! :D
Cotinus and sambucus nigra look amazingly complementary!
I could only be sorry that none of the variegated brunneras are on offer around here. :(
And which red ornamental grass could produce that compact border-lining shape at the front? A pennisetum rubrum?

 

dim you the man

 

That kid gets about :yess: :D

 

thanks ... I rushed that one (spent about 20 min, of which most of the time was sorting the border outline .... but will do another layout of that when time allows .... it allows gives me more practise on the software

ideally, I would use the larger reddish shrubs on the back, as the main backdrop, and keep all of them red (not add the ceanothus)

then, I would plant tall evergreen hardy ferns to give some all year colour, but would plant taller specimins (there are some ferns that are evergreen and grow nearly a meter tall

then one needs to use the remaining space to add the blue colour (perennials, but to ensure that you choose varieties that will give colour for long periods and plant several together .... then in the front along the whole border, perhaps plant reddish huechra such as georgia peach which is also evergreen

so basically what I try to achieve is colour in all areas throughout the year ... (space management) .... takes a bit of time to plan though and I am still learning gardening

as to your question about a reddish grass, look at Deschampsia caespitosa Northern Lights



and Arthropodium candidum 'Purpureum' ...



and HAKONECHLOA MACRA 'NICOLAS'

 

still not correct, but just a quick layout showing the complete red back border with the blue inbetween and the reddish huechera on the border ... just showing colour scheme at this stage

 

BLIMEY !!!

So much to read ! Thank you

AND I've been "dim"'d

 

I quite liked your curves, might be inclined to emphasise them rather than straighten them out? I would also loose the bit of grass going behind the lower window towards the gravel/paved area. If you added a bit more of the same gravel, you could make a sweeping edge of lawn easy to mow and still have an interesting shaped border.
Might also just lift one or two box plants either side of your path, make it a bit wider and use them to clip as cones or balls to tie in the border with the gravel bit on this doodle!! Not sure how well this'll show up actually, it's not big and a bit scribbly.

You wanted to use your Magnolia Satisfaction and also wanted all year round interest. I reckon your soil is not free draining, slightly heavy if anything and the border...especially near the house is shaded by the house.
I've put some ideas for plants to give a purple themed border.

Winter structure - stems of Magnolia, either a Sambucus nigra 'Gerda' or Cotinus coggygria Royal Purple or Either of these would respond well to being pruned in late winter/Spring to keep the size you want.
For evergreen interest I might add a Sarcococca hookeriana 'Purplestem' which has very fragrant winter flowers too. A Euonymus fortunei Silver Queen planted against the fence, it would grow up the fence and could be cut back as required to keep it tidy, one toward the front of the border would add depth and continuity. A Garrya elliptica also as a wall shrub would be evergreen and gives good winter tassle flowers.
The box balls nicked from your edging are also evergreen ofcourse, as is the Ophiopogon, (black grass) which is what the scribbly black patches are supposed to be.

I would add a wall trained Calliacarpa bodinieri, just clipped back as necessary in Spring and tied in as you think looks right. It has violet berries in Autumn and looks great with the silver Queen.

For the perennials, (depicted as the looser hatched bits) Things like Astrantia 'Hadspen Blood' Astrantia major 'Shaggy', Geranium pheum Samabor, Nepeta x faassenii will look pretty and flower for ages...then you cut them hard back and they usually flower again late on too. Iris sibirica gives a contrasting shape and does OK in some shade. Aconitum carmichaelii come in many varieties, worth looking up some to suityou as it is a good late summer flower and comes in lovely blues and purples.
For foliage, I'd love to add loads of silver artemisias...but think you might do better with Brunnera Jack Frost and Looking glass and Heucheras, (lots of purples and silvers now available).

Definately agree with the idea of Perovskia, leave the stems through the winter and cut back in the Spring.

For ground cover at the front, one idea is Ajuga reptans Catlins Giant.

Bulbs, snowdrops - some of the bigger ones are great further back in the border to look pretty before perrenials have filled the space in the growing season. Same goes for hellebores, if you cut the foliage off early Spring, you'll see the flowers better.
I'd put aliums and tulips in, maybe Queen of night and Spring Green, threading through from back to front between clumps of perennials. They flower whilst there's still room to see them, then the perennial foliage hides the leaves. I like your idea of foxgloves...they are the little crosses on my drawing.
Underplant your magnolia with cyclamen coum and maybe tiarella cordifolia too.

In the gravel area, I'd leave a 'pathway' through to your original section then plant up some of either side with Ophiopogon and maybe a big hosta in the corner of fence and house and add whatever you fancy...tiarella, bulbs etc.

 

Missed off the ideas for white flowers...I'd keep to smaller flowered things here. I love big white flowers but unless you want the white to dominate, go for spikes like your foxgloves and possibly stick in some Crambe cordifolia, Gaura lindheimei or Gypsophilla Bristol Ruby. The Astrantia 'Shaggy' is a good one to give the effect of breaking up the border with splashes of white without dominating it.
Nicotiana is always lovely, if you can be bothered to sow/buy some annuals.