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What to put into integral planters on deck

setset Posts: 7
in Problem solving
Hello lovely people of Gardeners World forum.

I am looking for some advice about what to put in my integral planters on my deck, which is in progress.

The planters are all around the top of my deck seating so all in all around 7 liner metres.
They are about 6 inches wide and 8 inches deep and will be lined with plastic and have drainage holes, so I intend to put soil or compost directly into the planter.

Ideally I want just two (or maximum three) types of plant repeated over the whole space.
The question is; what plants to choose that will thrive in a relatively shallow space and over winter well. I was considering Euphorbia Characias and some kind of grass (maybe reddish in colour to complement the Euphorbia).  

Can anyone please comment on my choice or recommend anything else?

As there is so much to cover, I want to try to select the most viable options and avoid an expensive mistake. I've attached some pics of the planters. 

Also, as my garden is in south London it has a lot of clay which is nightmare for drainage. I've been there for almost 20 years and sadly global warming has meant that all my best efforts have been thwarted with ever more volume of rain to contend with. We have added a deep pond and a french trench which has helped but still hasn't resolved the flooding which is now happening between November - April. We have a permanent pump in place during these months just to keep the level down to manageable. But the bottom of the garden is sodden and some areas are often under a couple of inches of water, despite our effrorts. I have had the lawn relaid 5 times ( yes, I said 5) since I have lived there and don't want to do this again, so I'm looking for suggestions as to how to mitigate further for the constantly soggy bottom. Any bright ideas?

Thanks for any input.

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Posts

  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    How much sun does the bed get? I'd be tempted to get fragrant herbs like thyme and rosemary in there since they'll be up at nose level. They'd need decent sunlight to thrive though.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    A scented plant might be nice. Plants with a long flowering period, ok with shade? 

    Geraniums would do well with the shade and not expensive, with a long flowering period. (Not scented though).
    Perennial, variegated wallflowers?
    It might be lovely to grow wild strawberries. Mine go all the way through the year. Lovely little flowers, good for shade, fruit all year. A nice talking point.

    Euphorbia sap can be an irritant, so I'm not sure you'd be wanting to sit right up against it.
  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    Definitely do not plant euphorbias in the planters right where people and children will sit. Far too easy for children and adults to accidentally do damage to the plant but to themselves as well with the sap. That particular euphorbia will grow to over 3 ft but it flops over all over the place just to add to the problem. Grasses, yes, euphorbias no.  
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • setset Posts: 7
    Ok. No euphorbias then. Didn’t know they were dangerous. I love geraniums and already use them elsewhere so they were always going to be the second choice. But rosemary is a great idea and I love that too. So thanks for all the advice so far . 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Rosemary and thyme etc need all day sun.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Fire said:
    It might be lovely to grow wild strawberries. Mine go all the way through the year. Lovely little flowers, good for shade, fruit all year. A nice talking point.
    I like the idea of strawberries. It looks like quite a shaded bed from the photos but if there are any sunny spots you could get some perpetually fruiting varieties to go with the alpine/wild ones to extend the crop.

    I've got a few pots of alpine straws here and the fruit they make is small but has the best flavour of any strawberry.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    What a lovely spot.  I suggest some of those plants we don't normally get to appreciate at eye level.  Some spring bulbs and hellebore, then small fuchsias, violas, inpatients, etc.  Gardeners World did an episode a few weeks back with containers for shade/part sun.. that might offer some inspiration.  
    Utah, USA.
  • setset Posts: 7
    Fire said:
    Rosemary and thyme etc need all day sun.
    The deck gets plenty of sun during the summer months.  So I think rosemary will do ok.

  • setset Posts: 7
    Blue Onion said:
    What a lovely spot.  I suggest some of those plants we don't normally get to appreciate at eye level.  Some spring bulbs and hellebore, then small fuchsias, violas, inpatients, etc.  Gardeners World did an episode a few weeks back with containers for shade/part sun.. that might offer some inspiration.  
    Thanks, we are very lucky indeed. I don't really want lots of different varieties of plants, I want to stick to just two or three maximum so that it looks themed rather than random. So far, I'm going with (bright pink) geraniums and rosemary but am open to one more type of plant that would complement these.

    Can anyone advise on what best to line the planters with? Or if this is recommended at all. 

    Thanks so much for making your suggestions everyone. This has been very helpful. I'll be sure to post some pics when we've finished the deck and filled the planters.


  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Many line their planters with old, plastic compost bags, turned inside out and pinned, remembering to make holes in it for drainage. They are very hard wearing and last a long time.
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