Where to start? What to plant?

Hi All,

New to gardening and thought I would get some advice before I go tearing up the garden

The garden is really easy to maintain, as you step down from the patio to a rectangle piece of lawn that tapers in at the top about 20m long. Last year when I moved in I dug two borders down the edges of my lawn about 50cm in width each, in preparation for some plants and flowers.

Lawn
Ok the lawn suffers from alot of weeds in particular Dandelions (from next doors jungle). I must have pulled out about 100 last year but alas they came back. So the grass is quite patchy and some brown dead grass.

Would you recommend the Evergreen 4 in 1 I have seen mentioned on here. At what time of the year should I use this? Now? Next month?

Borders
I really just wanted any general ideas of what to plant, I have been looking through the Thompson & Morgan catalogue and there's so many nice flowers etc but such a wide choice. I don't want any tree's, just low level plants, flowers, maybe up to 4 or 5ft max.

A mix of coniferous plants and shrubs with lots of colourful flowers.

Anybody have any websites they use to order from?

I know there is probably lots of questions I need to ask and it all seems a bit vague, but I appreciate anyone's responses/pointers.

 

As you said, you're a beginner, so go to a local nursery (not garden centre) and see the plants in the flesh. Website us some glossy photography which can make rather dull plants look fantastic.
As you get more experienced use the web to source hard to find rarities.

Gotta go shopping, but I'll post later.....................

 

Ok thanks, yeah will definitely go have a look.

Here is a photo of the garden, really simple as I said.



The bottom left and right corner stays in the shade a lot and the soil is quite damp.

 

No photo visible.

Anyway, here are a few that I will personally recommend.............

Fuchsia;
There is surely a Fuchsia for everyone! Amongst the hardy group I have these...........
Hawkshead (fully hardy, very classy IMO, up to about a metre)..............


Fuchsia "David" - a dwarf form and fully hardy too......................


F.magellanica "Riccartoni" - very hardy, but can get large. Super graceful though..............


Fuchsia Thalia is tender, but really worth the effort!


Aconitum - fully hardy and clump forming. From 20cm up to 1.5 metres depending on the species. This is the cultivar "Stainless Steel" (h.50cm)..................


Don't forget to plant some hardy bulbs. Vast choice, but two to think about are Allium christophii....................


.............and Camassia leichtlenii..................


Campanulas can be quite invasive. These three are quite well behaved for me - C.glomerata..................




.............and Campanula rubriflora


Alstomeria psittacina is one of my absolute favourites! Fully hardy growing up to one metre in height..................


Asphodeline lutea will form a nice clump over the years..................


Self seeding annuals include Cerinthe..................


I have to stop or this will be a very long post!
Let me know if you want more ideas or info on any of the above.

 

I started with (because it seemed logical), and after a number of years still have a simple policy.

1) Use hardy perennials - cuts down on the work.

2) Use long flowering plants - so you always have plenty of colour.

A few suggestions are Centranthus rubra. It flowers for months and when its finished you cut it back and within three weeks or so it starts to flower again. Astrantia will also come back again. Helenium. Catmint (Nepeta faassenii). perennial Lobelia, such as 'Victoria' and 'Tanya' (not the little ones ones used in hanging baskets). Echinacea, Hemerocallis, and the three hardy Geraniums mentioned below.

3) If you want, restrict you palette. I mainly use blue, purple, pink and soft reds. But you could use hot colours - yellow, orange and sharp reds. That way the colours tend to blend with each other and make nice combinations.

4) Go for the most highly rated plants. I like this site http://www.cgf.net/plants.aspx?id=8&hid=6&genus=GERANIUM Bob Brown is a Chelsea gold medalist, who used to be a schoolmaster and gives his plants a score out of 10. For instance the link shows hardy Geraniums. As a result of his scores I have 'Patricia', 'Rozanne' and 'Ann Folkard'. He quotes these as flowering for 5 or 6 months and gives them very high scores. He is right - they are superb. I had, for a while, another hardy Geranium that only flowered for 2 weeks. The flowers were pretty - but 2 weeks is rubbish in my eyes, so it got booted out. All three above are sterile hybrids (ie don't produce seed) so you must buy them as plants with that specific name.

5) Plant in blocks of several plants - it makes much more impact.

6) Consider tender perennials. As a group they tend to be very long flowering, but being tender they will need protection over the winter, or you will need to buy new each year.

This group includes Geraniums (the tender sort, which are technically named Pelargoniums). Fuschias - I along with many other people consider the triphylla group, such as LongK's 'Thalia' the best. Osteopermums, Argyranthemum, Salvias and Petunias.

 

I don't know how b21man feels, but after reading the previous to posts I've just found my wish list has got a lot longer!

 

B21man - I forgot to add one more point.

7) Buying plants can be pretty expensive, as you will want quite a lot. In my first year I grew most of them from seed, as a packet of seed doesn't cost a lot - and you can get loads of plants from one packet. There are some named varieties that you have to buy as plants - like the named hardy Geraniums, as they can't be grown from seed. But things like Centranthus, Helenium, Echinacea, Astrantia and Lobelia 'Victoria' can all be grown from seed. The seed catalogues usually identify plants that flower in their first year.

Re-reading your post, you mentioned a dark, damp area. Aquilegia, Astilbe, Hemerocallis, Astrantia, Eupatorium (5 feet), Lythrum, Persicaria and Polemonium will all do well - all reasonably long flowered, with Aquilegia being the shortest.

 

Hi, wow, 2 very informative replies, thank you very much!!

Yes my wish list has just got longer and my head is spinning slightly trying to decide what I want, ha!

Colour wise I think I will stick to Purple, red and blues...

The hardest part for me is where to actually plant them so the colours are all mixed evenly, and what shrubs to put in and where etc...

 

Hi b21man, Lots of good ideas there, I'd add a 'backbone' of shrubs and dwarf conifers to give all year-round interest, as a border full of perennials is going to look a bit deadly through winter! Here are a few ideas for evergreens...Photinia 'Red Robin', Choisya ternata, Ceanothus Blue Mound, Pittosporum 'Tom Thumb', Hebe 'Midsummer Beauty', Cistus' 'Grayswood Pink' and purpureus, Phormium tenax purpureum...all for the sunnier parts. Then perhaps deciduous Cotinus 'Royal Purple', Caryopteris clandonensis 'Kew Blue', Perovskia or Ceratostigma willmottianum or plumbaginoides. When they start getting established, you'll find that you get an overwhelming urge to turn the lawn into a path meandering between the plants

 

Just thought I would update what I chose to put in, Ive mainly sorted the perennials and some one season ones, just wanted to get them in I went for a mixture of: Geraniums, Pertunias, Snapdragons, Dwarf carnations, African marigolds, Azaelias, I also have (my favourites) two large peany's (if thats the correct spelling). Colours are mainly, red, orange, and pinks...I keep going out everyday wanting them to all be blooming!!

Ive got about 10 various sized pots made up with geraniums, pertunias, trailing lobelias and trailing fuschias for the patio, and couple of red Japanese Acers.

Im going to have a look at the above mentioned conifers and get some in when I see what spaces Ive got left. I will get some photos up soon if anyone is interested

 

ooo piccies please?