Suitability for a couple of plants
Hi everyone,
A couple of years ago we got our garden completely dug over and back to a blank canvas. We wanted to turn it in to a wildlife friendly garden. It was going ok but we had to unexpectedly have our dog put to sleep just before last Christmas and I've been finding it really tough without him here, especially as he loved being out in his garden. As a result the work on the garden has been minimal this year and things have gotten to quite a messy and overgrown state. I'm trying to think of some things I can do before the bad weather sets in and have a query on whether a couple of plants I have in mind to add will be suitable for the space - once some other things are cleared out to make way. They are a Wisteria and a Viburnum Opulus but I am not sure whether I will be wasting my money by trying to put them in the space we have.
Here are some photos of the relevant area (South facing).
Flowerbed to left of pond (late Spring 2016):
Flowerbed to right of pond (late Spring 2016):
Flowerbeds around pond (early Winter 2016):
Flowerbeds around pond (Summer 2017):
The plants have filled in quite well this year but everything is getting quite squashed in now so I guess I need to prune some of it back. The couple of issues I have is that the trellis behind the pond has no climber covering it. I attempted to plant a clematis there but it didn't do very well and I suspect it's now died off. Around the area we do have creeping jenny which has spread very well, and also a Carex Evergold. I had thought these would help to shelter the Clematis' roots but I'm not sure if they contributed to its demise. We do have a Trachelospermum jasminoides planted to the rear of the Dogwood in the following photo (there is a honeysuckle plant to the left), and it has a couple of branches that have stretched to behind the Crocosmia now. But it seems to be extremely slow growing and at this rate it'll be years before it covers the whole area behind the pond. This is all in the bed to the left of the pond:
I know that wisteria can form a nice woody area which would be great for the wildlife and I thought this could work well as the backing to the pond, but is it a suitable plant to go on to a fence trellis? The available planting area is also quite small as we made the mistake of digging the pond quite close to the fence. As a result the area is tricky to access on a regular basis so ideally I need something that doesn't need lots of tying in, so would wisteria work with that in mind?
The other issue is we've got a self seeded buddlejah which has taken over just to the right of the pond, behind the hibernaculum/rockery area:
<img class="img-responsive" src="http://image1.gardenersworld.com/im
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(Part of my post was missing, so here it is continued):
It's been quite nice having something with more height to it, but I don't want the buddlejah to stay. I would really like a Viburnum Opulus but where the buddlejah has flourished in quite a small area, would the Viburnum manage? The other query I have on Viburnum Opulus is whether anyone knows of an online nursery where you can buy a decent sized plant? So far I've only found the bare root hedging sticks and I'm guessing those will be quite slow growing. Ideally I'd like a reasonable sized plant to fill the gap and show some colour next year.
As well as a good tidy up I'm planning to try to get some Spring bulbs planted before it's too late. So far we've never had much going on in the Spring as most of the plants are perennials.
I would appreciate any help or pointers that you can give. I has been working pretty hard on my garden and have failed with it this year. I don't want the work to go to waste so thought if i could at least get a bit of a head start it'd help for the Spring next year.
Lucid
Last edited: 21 October 2017 02:11:32
If the post is too big - ie too much text and photos - you won't get it all in one post
I'd be inclined to go for a shrub of some kind which can be 'wall trained', or a climber. Ceanothus posssibly. That looks a very tight space for a big shrub. Buddleias will manage anywhere by comparison. Something like an alpina clematis might do well there, and they don't need too much attention once the stems are trained in. Your other clematis has probably suffered by being too dry. Most clems need a lot of water and a decent space for their roots. The alpinas cope with a drier spot so it might be fine in that small area once established. The honeysuckle will struggle too if it doesn't have enough moisture.
I don't think wisteria is suitable either to be honest. You need access to prune etc. and they get very big.
The other issue though is foliage dropping into the pond - big shrubs have a lot of foliage when mature so you'd need to have netting in place. You might be better with an evergreen which will need less attention and no dropping foliage - something like a Euonymous. They will 'climb' when planted against a wall or fence.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thanks for the replies Edd and Fairygirl.
Edd - I can assure you that I'm a complete beginner as this is the first garden we've had. I think I've been very lucky that it still all flowered reasonably well this year as I didn't do any feeding or proper weed maintenance etc, but I know I need to get on top of it soon. Thanks for the tip on snakes head fritillary, I'll look out for some.
Fairygirl - thanks for the info on the plants. That's exactly why I didn't want to rush out and buy as I wasn't sure they'd work. A clematis alpina sounds interesting so I'll check out some of those. I will have to look in to the Ceanothus and Euonymous ideas as I've not come across either of those before. The honeysuckles aren't too bad and filled out more this year, but I'll take on board what you've said about dryness. Would it help to add manure to their bases? I know clematis don't like manure but are honeysuckles ok? I've also realised I've never pruned the honeysuckles in the 2 years they've been planted so I guess I should do that soon too.
On the viburnum opulus, I'd really like one still but my beds on that side are going to be too full up. I've got plenty of space on my north facing fenceline. The most successful plants there for now are a Geranium Rozanne and a dwarf buddlejah, but there's also a holly and pyracantha that seem happy (just very slow growing). Would a viburnum opulus stand a chance there or do they definitely need full Sun?
Also, if anyone does know where a good opulus can be bought from that'd be great, as I'm yet to find one in a pot that isn't one of the other varieties.
Thanks,
Lucid
Viburnum opulus will grow in any aspect. It's a popular hedging plant too , which is probably why you can easily get it just now as a bare root - it's that time of year. If you want one, get a bare root. It'll establish easily, and grow on to be decent sized plant in a couple of years. Be aware that they do get pretty big in all directions, so you'll have to prune it if you're looking to keep it in a smaller space.
Clematis will be more than happy with loads of manure, as long as it's well rotted. Fresh is no good for applying to any plant. Plenty of water for your honeysuckle, and manure will help retain moisture, so that will be very beneficial for it if your soil's a bit on the dry side. A good mulch of leaf mould, if you have it, or some good compost, or more manure, will help retain moisture too, especially in summer. The bigger and better the honeysuckle grows, the more useful it will be, as you can train some of the branches across the back of the pond, and that will give you some coverage there, rather than trying to fit another big plant in. You can then put something more appropriate in the space instead. Perennial verticals perhaps, like Verbascums, Alliums or Veronicas etc. The other thing you need to be wary of is anything 'woody', with a big root system, that's right next to your pond. Don't want the liner being punctured. I'm assuming that's what you've used of course.
It all takes a little time, and you've already got the pond area looking well established and mature, so take some time to let it flourish
Most of all Lucid, don't fret about it too much. Try and take time to enjoy it, especially when you've had an unhappy event, and you've missed out on some gardening this year. For now, look at the little gaps you have that could benefit from some spring bulbs for instance. Pasqueflowers are very pretty for spring too, and are very easy. Native primuals for shadier dampers spots too. They give a nice bit of colour and interest at the end of winter, and often flower on and off through the year.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Very sound advice from Fairygirl. I think that area could look too congested with shrubs and even a climber. Climbers could start further away and slowly trained into the clear space near the pond area.
Your pond's position looks nice in ratio to the rest of your garden. You have a good eye for detail, and you just need to be mindful of root system, particularly near your pond edge. As Fairygirl says, it could puncture your liner. It's better to grow a few bulbs and concentrate on your north border which is where you could have your Viburnum Opulus. Think about eventual size of a shrub and resist from planting too near the fences.
Thanks for the further advice Fairygirl and Borderline.
On the manure for clematis I was going on the advice from Taylors Clematis as they recommend John Innes No. 3 instead, but it's good to know that the type of manure I use is ok as well.
I've got an evergreen Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) which is currently in the bed to the left of the pond and has very slowly started to creep over. Perhaps it'd be better to be patient and wait for that to completely fill out behind the pond (sounds like it could take several years). I can then encourage the honeysuckle to the right to spread further too.
Thanks for the tip on the bare root viburnum, I'll get hold of one of those for the North facing bed. Also the tip on watching roots near the pond, I hadn't thought of that. Other than the self seeded buddlejah there's nothing big around the pond. I think the dogwood is far enough away to not make an impact.
I'll get it cleared up and weeded and then think about some groups of bulbs in the gaps.
Thanks for your help and advice.
Lucid