As I said I won't be planting them when it's frozen and almost all of the plants I'm selecting are evergreen. I'm only going to plant about 4 (medium sized ones) now so I can plant the bulbs around them. I have to plant the bulbs now otherwise they will die. The 4 plants won't be more than 40 pounds or so and I don't really want to wait till March/April time to plant them and my bulbs will have died by then. I am willing to take that risk. Someone from a garden centre also said I could plant now provided it's not frozen. Perhaps I'll buy the plants (mostly from online nurseries) and just leave them in their pots.Thanks.
Cammy0102, they should be fine if they are from 9cm pots upwards. Keep them stationed against a wall, preferably a southerly wall. This will minimise excess rain-fall and frost. If it's quite small, keep inside an unheated greenhouse or similar.
If you haven't bought from your plant list yet, do consider alternatives to Lavenders and Dianthus. I believe they will struggle longterm in your front garden. Might be better to source plants that are more able to adapt to your front garden conditions. These are my recommendations based on your current colour schemes. Thalictrum Delavayi, Hyssopus Officinalis, Lychnis Coronaria and Aconitum/Polemonium Caeruleum.
Thanks Borderline. Why do you think lavenders and Dianthus aren't suitable? I had them on the list because they are already in my back garden, I like the look of them, they don't get too big and they are evergreens. I do like the ones you suggested too and am considering them instead. I only need about 4 small plants to go in between the medium plants.
Cammy0102, Lavenders and Dianthus can grow there, but as mentioned in my first post here, you stated you have tall trees surrounding the garden. The sizing of your garden is quite compact. Together with it being north facing, will mean it gets limited sun throughout the year.
There will be sun in the summer months of course, but not likely to be prolonged. These conditions affect your soil and also the plants. The soil may stay damp for longer between summer rainfalls. Not ideal for some of those plants. Lavenders and Dianthus prefer sunny sites. They must have free draining soil. Provided you incorporate plenty of compost or grit, they will be fine. They however may not flower in abundance because of the shade caused by the small size of garden and the trees around it. That's the reason. Does not mean 'no' to the plants, but in my opinion, it's an opportunity to try other more suitable plants in that space.
Because your borders are quite small, you could slot in plants like Cyclamens that have interesting foliage in the winter time. I find that prennials that are evergreen do not always make the borders look full or interesting. There are only a handful of evergreen perennials that look good in the coldest months. It's better to have plants that have winter interest instead.
Posts
As I said I won't be planting them when it's frozen and almost all of the plants I'm selecting are evergreen. I'm only going to plant about 4 (medium sized ones) now so I can plant the bulbs around them. I have to plant the bulbs now otherwise they will die. The 4 plants won't be more than 40 pounds or so and I don't really want to wait till March/April time to plant them and my bulbs will have died by then. I am willing to take that risk. Someone from a garden centre also said I could plant now provided it's not frozen. Perhaps I'll buy the plants (mostly from online nurseries) and just leave them in their pots.Thanks.
Why not plant the bulbs leaving spaces for the other plants? You can mark the spot with sticks.
It's still early January and the worst of winter is yet to come unless this turns out to be an exceptionally mild year.
Garden centre staff are there to sell you plants and make profits.
However, your money and your risk.
Yeah I think I will probably do that. If I buy the plants now, is it OK to leave the plants in pots outside?
Cammy0102, they should be fine if they are from 9cm pots upwards. Keep them stationed against a wall, preferably a southerly wall. This will minimise excess rain-fall and frost. If it's quite small, keep inside an unheated greenhouse or similar.
If you haven't bought from your plant list yet, do consider alternatives to Lavenders and Dianthus. I believe they will struggle longterm in your front garden. Might be better to source plants that are more able to adapt to your front garden conditions. These are my recommendations based on your current colour schemes. Thalictrum Delavayi, Hyssopus Officinalis, Lychnis Coronaria and Aconitum/Polemonium Caeruleum.
Last edited: 10 January 2018 18:33:07
Thanks Borderline. Why do you think lavenders and Dianthus aren't suitable? I had them on the list because they are already in my back garden, I like the look of them, they don't get too big and they are evergreens. I do like the ones you suggested too and am considering them instead. I only need about 4 small plants to go in between the medium plants.
So I ordered the following 4 medium sized plants a couple of days ago:
Choisya Sundance
Choisya 'White Dazzler'
Azalea japonica 'Madame Van Hecke'
Erysimum Bowles Mauve
Also bought Hebe Mrs Winder
Cammy0102, Lavenders and Dianthus can grow there, but as mentioned in my first post here, you stated you have tall trees surrounding the garden. The sizing of your garden is quite compact. Together with it being north facing, will mean it gets limited sun throughout the year.
There will be sun in the summer months of course, but not likely to be prolonged. These conditions affect your soil and also the plants. The soil may stay damp for longer between summer rainfalls. Not ideal for some of those plants. Lavenders and Dianthus prefer sunny sites. They must have free draining soil. Provided you incorporate plenty of compost or grit, they will be fine. They however may not flower in abundance because of the shade caused by the small size of garden and the trees around it. That's the reason. Does not mean 'no' to the plants, but in my opinion, it's an opportunity to try other more suitable plants in that space.
Because your borders are quite small, you could slot in plants like Cyclamens that have interesting foliage in the winter time. I find that prennials that are evergreen do not always make the borders look full or interesting. There are only a handful of evergreen perennials that look good in the coldest months. It's better to have plants that have winter interest instead.