Front garden, south west facing boarder plants

Hi All,

My today job has been to dig in a boarder along my path way upto the house. Its nearly done now! I've done away with the grass and the soil looks surprisingly ok (compared to the other soil in the garden!!!). Still - I will get some nicely rotted manure and some nutrients, dig them in tomorrow and give them a couple of days. In the meantime, I am planning my garden trip on Saturday for plants. Its not a wide boarder so will not need much... but am thinking about some nice smelly plants.

I am thinking that some lavenders would be lovely (possibly the french lavender - splendour) at each end and maybe a different lavender in the middle?? Possibly the tiara one? Or a white lavender? Not sure really.... other than that, I'm a bit stuck. Been doing a bit of research but nothing all that tempting turning up. I'm going for flowers all year round, so will plant some crocus, snowdrop, and tulip bulbs later too but for now? anyone got any good suggestions?

If it helps, the boarder under the kitchen window currently contains delphiiums (white and purple), 2 climbing roses - 1 white, 1 pale pink, 1 rose bush - hot pink, some pinks, a hebe, mesembreanthemums and geraniums...... And I have a hanging basket that is all pinks, whites and purples too :-)

 

MZ, if you are going with lavender, why not stick with herbs? Lemon Balm is very nice, also Rosemary Chives, to give a different texture to the bed, maybe, Mint ( though this would need to be planted complete with pot ). Just a thought.

 

How about Calamintha nepeta and Origanum laevigatum, both small leaved with strong scent when rubbed, and long flowering. Salvia splendens (pineapple sage) is a lot larger and has a pineapple scent when crushed - but not very hardy.

 

hum, yes, I never think of herbs as an option - especially in the front, but it could look ace. And like the calamintha nepeta (well, like the google reports anyway) Will consider.

Cheers

 

I meant to add Nepeta faassenii (catmint). It also has smelly leaves and is long flowering. It goes a bit floppy, but I love it. It clumps up well, and is very easy to divide or take cuttings. But it is not invasive.

 

A herb border is really wonderful to have along a garden path it was one of the first things I planted in our present garden when we first moved in although I just planted all the herbs into the ground and let them wander where ever they liked and this worked out wonderfully well as the border is alone i.e. not attached to any other soil. Herbs are very easy to look after and 2 years down the line it still looks pretty amazing and it's also good for the little'uns to play feel and smell with them.

I also planted a border of lavender along the house wall of another pathway although I realised my mistake as the lavender soon over powered the path way and when you walked along the path after it rained you got wet legs so this all had to be remove and also the lavender looked messy when it flowered trimming didn't help either. Hel.xxx.