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Front garden path planting

RedSquirrelAbroadRedSquirrelAbroad Posts: 74
in Plants
Anyone got any suggestions for plants to edge my front garden path? There are already some roses and lavender which I’d like to underplant and remove the turf, which is awkward to mow. Sunny spot in clay.
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  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    What enormous lavenders!  I would firstly plant an evergreen climber on the left hand fence (something like an evergreen winter flowering clematis or a jasmine, then underplant with nepeta (catmint) erigeron karvinskianus (daisy) and hardy geranium (Rozanne).
    Taking the grass up and improving the soil before planting would be a good idea, but even with plants in, you will have to be prepared for continual weeding. 
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • RubytooRubytoo Posts: 1,630
    I like the black ophiopogon, which does okay here in sun or shade on improved clay, might look nice with the grey lavender? It also has nice little lilac white flowers, and is a fairly low growing plant. It is also evergreen, well ever black. :)
    If you keep dividing it, you don't have to buy lots of plants it will spread nicely
    We also have a green one with white flowers.
  • RedSquirrelAbroadRedSquirrelAbroad Posts: 74
    Thanks, I was worried it would look bare in winter without the grass so a little black evergreen is a nice idea 🙂 And Lizzie I like your suggestions for evergreen climbers, the neighbour’s place isn’t pretty but I do have them to thank for the lavender which is growing on their side and is buzzing with bees in the summer 🐝🐝🐝
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    I'd forgotten about the black grass (thanks Ruby), it would look good as well but does need some moisture I find. It's good about the bees on the lavender. 
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    My front path is edged with Anthemis punctata, a plant I'd never met until I moved to this house and found it in the garden. It has a lot going for it: it's evergreen, hardy against cold and drought, covered in cheery daisy flowers in May/June, the foliage is pretty and faintly aromatic, it is easy to propagate from cuttings, and doesn't self seed all over the garden.  All it asks is a little sunshine.  It also seems to be pest-proof.
  • RedSquirrelAbroadRedSquirrelAbroad Posts: 74
    Josusa, I love the Anthemis Punctata - Sicilian Chamomile - it would indeed look lovely with the roses and lavender but will it grow well in clay? RHS says loamy, chalky or sandy soil. I suppose I could add plenty of grit to try to resemble conditions in Sicily. 😉Wonder if anyone’s grown it successfully on clay?  

    https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/96328/Anthemis-punctata-subsp-cupaniana/Details
  • lilysillylilysilly Posts: 511
    What colour are your roses? Do you want your flower colours to compliment each other or a bright mix?
    I grow on clay, geum Totally Tangerine is an excellent plant. It's clump forming, evergreen and is almost in flower all year. It would look good with the lavender. I would also agree with hardy geranium Rozanne. It will flower it's socks off all summer and into Autumn, just a little cutting off of spent stems. If planted just in front of the fence it will grow forward to fill that space and can be kept in check when after a few seasons it bulks up by division. It would look great with the geum.
    Francoa is a nice evergreen plant. It clumps up well and sends up beautiful spires of pinky/ white flowers.
  • treehugger80treehugger80 Posts: 1,923
    where are you located? the number plates on the cars aren't UK one's. So unless you've got visitors i'm assuming Europe somewhere?

    It's just our ideas for plants will be limited to UK one's if we don't know where you are, and some UK plants won't grow in certain parts of Europe as winter temps are too cold and summer temps too high
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    edited January 2019
    selwacalderbank said:
    Josusa, I love the Anthemis Punctata - Sicilian Chamomile - it would indeed look lovely with the roses and lavender but will it grow well in clay? RHS says loamy, chalky or sandy soil. I suppose I could add plenty of grit to try to resemble conditions in Sicily. 😉Wonder if anyone’s grown it successfully on clay?  

    https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/96328/Anthemis-punctata-subsp-cupaniana/Details
    My soil's clayish, I haven't tested the pH but a neighbour who has, says it's about 8, which is what you'd expect as we're on a limestone outcrop.  If you like to send me your address in a PM, I'll send you a few cuttings, that way you'll lose nothing if they fail.  By the way, thank you for giving me its common name, I didn't know that.  Another edging plant that's just occurred to me is London pride, also evergreen, cheap and cheerful and very resilient.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    You could add in some bulbs for late winter/early spring colour.  I have snowdrops and species crocus coming out now, cyclamen coum has been flowering for ages and the early dwarf daffs won't be long.  I think all of them will be OK in clay as long as it doesn't get waterlogged (which presumably it doesn't because the lavenders wouldn't be doing well).
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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