My Tiny Front Garden

Looks great Dim - are these all ok to plant this time of year? Love the combination of colours. I am in Surrey, England.

 

I would not use hedgeing at the front, It is going to block what little light you have, You can buy saddle tank flower boxes that sit astride the wall. Like the ones on council fences as pic below
Leaving light for the plants low against the house wall IMHO

Jack McHammockashing

 

it will be fine to plant them now, but dig fairly deep and wide holes and use a mixture of John Innes #3 compost with 20-30% perlite to assist with drainage .... (Heucheras prefer well drained soil) ...

also mix some bonemeal or superphosphate into the compost/perlite mixture and don't fertilize till spring ... that's what I have been doing ....I also add rootgrow (Mycorrhizal Fungi) to the hole once prepared .... (roots have to make contact with the rootgrow powder)

once planted, add a thick layer of well rotted organic farmyard manure as a mulch (I read that huecheras need mulching in winter as they sometimes tend to 'heave')

 

Depending on how you feel about climbers you could grow one up the wall; something well behaved and bright...

I think Actinidia Kolomikta would love the south facing aspect, if you can't plant in the ground it will grow successfully from a large pot, I grew one myself in a pot a few years ago and its doing really well :thumb:

JLY3990- ACTINIDIA KOLOMIKTA, CLIMBER : Asset Details -Garden World Images

 

It's a lovely space but I agree you need to be careful not to eliminate sunshine from what plants you do grow. I have a small front yard with a brick wall and we have put trellis up to give us more privacy, grow plants up, and also because the big gappy trellis lets loads of light through. Then I have loads of pots with all sorts in! If it's nice and sunny you could do tomatoes in the summer. I am not very organised so I tend to chuck a plant in when I like it. But right now among my permanent pots (clematis, olive, fuschia, robinia) I have some tubs of winter pansies and violas.

 

Hi Dim,

You mentioned about the Heuchera's 'heaving.' What does this mean? And more importantly is this something I need to worry about? The one we've had for a while Berry Smoothie has been in a few years with little intervention....and wondered if I should be doing more with it? I only ask ask I have bought tons of them this year (peach flambe, southern comfort, palace purple, electra, electric lime, ginger ale, marvelous marble and frosted violet).....and I'd still like them next year .

 

I have only started planting them this year and they are now one of my favourite plants (My taste in plant selection has changed over the past year, and I now enjoy foilage plants such as exotics, grasses, tropicl/exotic plants etc and gone a bit 'off' flowers')

from what I have learned, most Huecheras do not like waterlogged soil, hence reason I add perlite and dig a fairly deep hole

I also read that in winter they can tend to 'heave' .... from what I understand, they 'lift' out of the ground, but have also learned that a good thick mulch of well rotted farmyard manure can stop this happening

had a quick search on goole as regards heving and there is a lot of info .... herewith one site:

Perennial Results: Plant View - Heuchera 'Obsidian' PP14836 COPF

snip:

Occasionally in northern regions, heucheras have a tendancy to heave out of the ground because of the freeze/thaw cycle. To combat heaving, add an extra layer of compost around the plant's roots in the fall. In the spring, if the plants have heaved at all, the new roots will grow into the fresh new layer of compost.

and another site:

Heuchera Plant Care | eHow.co.uk

snip:

Mulch heucheras to a depth of 3 to 4 inches to help retain moisture and help prevent heaving. They are shallow-rooted plants and can be heaved up out of the soil from the winter thaw/freeze cycle. Keep the mulch 2 inches away from the crown of the plant to help prevent rot. Inspect the plants in the spring and re-plant them right away if they have been pushed out of the soil.

​

 

Hi Dim! Yes I've definetely swayed that way this year, I still love flowers too. I guess when I first got into it I literally just thought of 'flowers' though. But have since learnt you can get alot of depth, texture and general interest by focussing on foliage.

All of my Heuch's are in large pots, and covered in sea shells as pot toppers. Thanks for the info about the 'heaving' although I didnt think it would be literal. Will nip out to B&Q or something over the weekend and get some manure. thanks for finding those articles. So am I right in thinking I should dig the plants out of their pots and add the mulch about half way down (or just below the roots). Some are only recently planted so I don't know whether to or not. I have noticed on the berry smoothie one that the crowns are very long, and sticking out upwards about 4 inches or more.....From the parent plant there are about 6 plants around the edges (of a similar size) and these also have 'long crowns.' They are full of foliage, it's not like they're bare. I don't know whether it's because it's sat in a pot for so long, or whether it is due to the above :P Time will tell I guess...

Lovely plants though.....found this.....



Think I'd be bankrupt

 

just add a thick mulch of manure on the top surface (assuming that there is space)

however, if they are in pots, you may not need to add mulch ... bring them inside when the weather forecast predicts extreme cold/snow/frost

should be OK

I planted several Berry smoothie with electric lime .... lovely plants ... leaves have grown huge and colour is bright

if you want a really nice (new for 2011 ) that grows very well in full sun, try Georgia Peach .... I have planted a few in a bed with full sun 2 months ago ... it's stunning