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Posted by Jo W (U15169869) on Thursday, 1st March 2012
I've got a tiny little student garden that i'm fairly free to do what I want with. The rules: nothing that will invade neighbours garden (a concrete path is the only boundary) and nothing that will make the house less saleable in about 4 years (a high-maintenance agressive invasive weed).
There's a little hedge between our garden and the next neighbours. It's fairly dead at the moment, and I was hoping for ideas on some little plants that would brighten it up! It doesn't get busy till about 1ft high and there's a definite gap that needs filling!
They should:
Do well in the shade
Be bright/pretty
Be fairly drought resistant if perennial (can't water July-Sept)
Not invade the bordering lawn
Flower in spring/early summer (we leave the property in July)
Bear in mind i'm a full-time 9-5 student so nothing too time-consuming please!
So far my thoughts are:
Violets, thyme...
Thanks so much for your help, I'm looking forward to hearing your ideas!
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This is quite a tough wish list.
Ox eye daisies, spring bulbs, Euphorbias, Hebes, New Guinea Busy Lizzies.
Link to this forum: Perfect plants for brightening up under hedge?
Violets are lovely but they can be pretty invasive once they get going and might well spread themselves into the lawn/further afield. I've found that the seed heads disperse their contents pretty widely and each seed grows a new seedling/plant. Fine if you want them as ground cover (as I do) but perhaps not if you want a nice 'contained' growth.
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I'm not sure if you'll be back next year - if so, spring bulbs are probably your best bet, along with columbines (aquilegia).
Link to this forum: Perfect plants for brightening up under hedge?
I am coming back next year, and possibly the year after too, so I probably will plant some bulbs! I'd quite like some colour this year too, but definitely need to keep thinking forward!
Thanks for the advice on the violets, the lawn's enough of a mess as it is without them all over the place too! Love the idea of using busy lizzies, hopefully my homebase will have some bedding plants ready for planting out
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Thyme likes sunshine so I wouldn't bother with that.
For perennial plants, try geranium macrorhizum which is fairly cheap to buy and will provide weed suppressing ground cover. It comes in white and pink flower forms in spring and has scented foliage which is evergreen except in harsh winters and turns red in autumn. It will spread slowly and is best planted in groups of 3, 5 or 7.
Good plants for shade and flowers in late summer and autumn are Japanese anemones.
Oriental hellebores will give you good foliage interest most of h eyear and flowers in late winter, early spring.
Aquilegias and foxgloves will provide height and flowers in late spring.
All of these can be underplanted with bulbs. Snowdrops and certain daffs will do well but crocuses need sun.
Link to this forum: Perfect plants for brightening up under hedge?
I am coming back next year, and possibly the year after too, so I probably will plant some bulbs! I'd quite like some colour this year too, but definitely need to keep thinking forward!
Thanks for the advice on the violets, the lawn's enough of a mess as it is without them all over the place too! Love the idea of using busy lizzies, hopefully my homebase will have some bedding plants ready for planting out Ìý
I read somewhere that busy lizzies will not be around this year due to virus that has killed them off. Suggestion is for petunias to replace impatiens
Link to this forum: Perfect plants for brightening up under hedge?
How can they have all been killed off?
Some nurseries, like my local one, will only now be planting their seed.
Link to this forum: Perfect plants for brightening up under hedge?
There is a view that to wipe out or find a cure for the downy mildew problem that there will be places that will not have them for sale this year.
Band Q and Homebase for starters-whether independent nurseries will be selling them is another matter
The new Guinea Hybrids are at present immune.
It is a case of grow your own or buy them- if you can get them- and take a chance.
Bad news for growers
Link to this forum: Perfect plants for brightening up under hedge?
Ouch, thanks for that! Probably just see what Homebase has in stock then, maybe New Guinea (ones i found on internet all claimed to be downy-mildew resistant) or I'll just have to cope with something else!
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The RHS Garden magazine suggests petunias. There are usually some very pretty ones around and they last all summer. Its good to hear of a tenant wanting to do the garden lucky landlord. Good luck
EH
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