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Hi, The flower bed in the foreground of the picture is south facing on a medium soil and I am looking for suggestions for planting. It is roughly 6 meters wide by a meter deep with good quality soil to a depth of around 18 inches. My previous attempts have stemmed from spur of the moment purchases at the garden centre which have never quite lived up to my expectations.
I am looking for lots of colour lasting from spring through to autumn from a range of plants. I enjoy watering so the bed drying out shouldn't be an issue. Currently I have 1 yellow and 2 white roses growing in the bed which I am quite fond of but would also move, the other plants are less important to me and can be moved easily.
I have been looking to plant some alstroemeria somewhere in my garden and was wondering if I could plant these here? If so what sort of additional planting would compliment them? If not what alternatives would create a bed with lots of colour? Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated, Thanks!
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Reply from
Hi there,
I love your wall and a sunny border of bright colourful planting would be great here.
I would start with a colour scheme - perhaps hot pinks, oranges and purples. Alstromeria would be good but it can flop over and doesn't flower for long. If you love it, plant it as a 'specimin' in the border, surrounded by a good long flowering scheme such as Ecinacea purpurea, pervoskia, helenium terracotta and salvia x sylvestis. I would add a lime coloured plant like alchemillia mollis as an edging plant or a grass like Stipa tenuissima would be lovely swaying in the breeze between the flowers. Be bold and plant in groups and only plant 5 different plants to get a real wow factor.
Hope this helps
Anna Taylor
http://www.landscaper.org.uk
http://www.woodhouselandscape.co.uk
Reply from
Beware Alstromeiria as it can often spread everywhere and quickly - once spread , very difficult to remove. You can really take your pick from Heleniums, Asters (especially Frikarti Monch), Nepeta (Six Hills Giant - another spreader but easily controlled),
Phlox/Penstemmons and a number of perennial grasses including New Zealand sedge/Miscanthus chinensis and others.
A current favourite is Astrantia Major /Ruby wedding/Shaggy - there are others but these will offer long flowering periods.
Reply from
Hi Anna and Douglas, thank you both for your replies, they have given me some ideas which I hadn't considered before. I am going to visit some of our local nurseries and see if they can help in sourcing the plants I want. I just want it to warm up now!