Garden Plant Ideas :-)

4 years ago

Hi everyone! :)

This is my first ever garden and I have been painting fences, laying slabs and creating a bed and now am looking for some help/ideas on what plants to plant. I would love some advice if possible as I am really confusing myself trying to work it all out.

I have attached a pic so you can see. Along the left-hand side is 7m long and 35cm wide. I would love something tall there to create some privacy and create some lovely colour - thinking some climbers would be best? Someone on here did mention some but I have deleted the post by accident.

At the back, the bed is 3m long and 80cm wide.

The garden is North West facing.

The ground is clay but I bought lots of compost from YouGarden and and created the beds with it ready to plant new plants.

In the large pot at the back, I have bought a tropical fern tree so I would like to try and create a Mediterranean feel throughout the garden. Hopefully with some colour too. I have seen something called 'Garden on a Roll' but undecided if this is too expensive or not? https://www.gardenonaroll.com/mediterranean-border

To the immediate left of the door, I am going to put some white Spanish pebbles in there and have a large planting trough to plant Bamboo Bissetti for some privacy.

Not sure if this is a silly question but can I plant in the ground at this time of the year or do I have to wait because of the weather being hot and dry?

Also, I have a cat, do you think the Mediterranean style plants will be poisonous?

Sorry for all the questions and thank you very much in advance! All advice welcomed as it's all going to be helpful and I am enjoying slowly learning all about gardening :-)

Thank you

Comments (5)

tamp75
4 years ago
Well done on all the work done so far. It’s looking great.
However, in my opinion, the bed along the left hand fence is too narrow, especially for the kind of plants you’re after which are often on the larger side.
I like the triangular shape as it gives a modern feel but also think a curve in that corner point would work well, losing some of the lawn and making the bed bigger. That would give you room to plant your tree fern in the ground in the corner there rather than in the pot. Tree ferns have shallow roots that spread outwards & in time, that pot wouldn’t be big enough. We have 2 that I bought as 6 inch high ferns & now (17years later) the trunks alone would fill that pot.
Other suggestions for tropical type plants are fatsia japonica & canna lilies though you’d need to check whether they would suit your north west position. Agapanthus would look good but also like the sun. Clematis to climb up your fence come in lots lots of colour options. Star jasmine which is evergreen would also be good fence cover. However both would need support - trellis or wires to climb up. Hydrangea Annabelle, although not quite the look you’re after are lovely & would suit a more shaded garden. However, most of these would need bigger beds to grow in.
In smaller beds, lavender, euonymous, box & hebes would fit & suit your garden but perhaps wouldn’t create the look you’re after. However, they would look good & are easy to look after.
Have fun finishing your garden & post some more photos when it’s done.
tamp75
4 years ago
Forgot, pelargoniums & geraniums would also add colour on a smaller scale.
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Sonia
4 years ago
You have been busy! Now, the plants you choose will depend on whether the borders are sunny or in shade. From your pic the left hand border is in shade, but of course that can change as the sun moves round. The border on the right looks sunnier. Mediterranean plants need a sunny spot, eg if you plant lavender in the shade it will lack flowers and look a bit sad. If you can state whether the borders are sunny or shady, I will be able to suggest some plants. Tree Ferns are tropical plants rather than Mediterranean. A lot of plants are poisonous, but I’ve never heard of a cat eating a potentially poisonous plant, but maybe I can be proved wrong! However, one plant that cats love and go quite heady over is Nepeta (Catmint) - they love rolling in it. It needs sun. Anyway, let us know the aspect and we can give suggestions.
Sonia
4 years ago
Forgot to say, you can plant all year round if plant has been grown in a pot (as long as the ground isn’t frozen). However, the plant will need watering daily if it is hot and dry, at least for the first few months, to help it establish. Obviously it probably won’t need watering on a day when it is raining heavily.
rachelmidlands
4 years ago
Hi Dom. Just catching up with some garden threads. Here is your previous thread in case you can’t find it: https://www.houzz.co.uk/discussions/5696107/garden-fence-gap-advice Well done on your garden so far, it’s looking great! Nothing much to add as the the above suggestions are great. You say the garden is NW facing so the left fence gets a bit of morning sun? If so then most Mediterranean plants may not like it, they need a lot of sunshine. I have had success with helianthemum (rock roses) in this position tho along with campanulas, geraniums and some other alpines. Crocosmia might be another possibility. Think I suggested a climbing hydrangea before...on second thoughts now I’ve seen more pics I would scrap that as they can get a little large, honeysuckle would be my choice but you may prefer the evergreen jasmine, either way they would need something to cling to. Best of luck with your garden and let us know how you get on.

Garden Plant Ideas :-)

Comments (5)

tamp75

tamp75

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