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Plant suggestions, please!

Tanty2Tanty2 Posts: 231
in Plants
Hi - I have a new bed to plant up and am overwhelmed with choice.  Some suggestions would be great!  The bed is in an open site, a few metres in front of a north facing wall, though it gets sun first thing in the morning and then all afternoon and into the evening.  The soil is neutral, and can be made acidic if needs be.  I'd like something (shrub, tree, even perennial) which will be around 2.5m high.   I'd like it to be flowering (colour not too important right now) and it doesn't matter if it's evergreen or not.  It's not a 'hot' garden so the flowering colour palette is lime green, blues, purples, yellows and pinks.  The bed is at the corner of a lawn so it could be an amazing focal point if I get the planting right :)  I've thought about standards, small trees, shrubs, but can't quite get the wow factor!  Any ideas?  Thank you :)

Posts

  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Good information regarding soil and sun but what about the size?

  • Tanty2Tanty2 Posts: 231
    The bed is vaguely triangular in shape, 3m (ish) down the long sides, 2m-ish across the base
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    I'm no good at the wow factor either. I just scour garden websites and plant what I like. Are there flowers you love? Maybe a climber for the wall? There is a recent thread here on online plant suppliers, Ballyroberts is very informative.
    I would think a focal upright tree would look good. Rowan Joseph Rock has lovely autumn  foilage  
    Perennials no idea but odd numbered groups. Then some ground cover my favourite is the hardy geranium. Daffodils for spring always a must for me.
    https://www.mailordertrees.co.uk/products/sorbus-joseph-rock-mountain-ash-tree

    Just look at photos of gardens, designer videos on YouTube. Planning what to plant is half the fun.
  • Tanty2Tanty2 Posts: 231
    Thanks for the suggestions - I've already converted a large site into three gardens, have spent five years choosing plants I love, but rather than repeat, I'm hoping someone has a favourite that's just not been on my radar!  I loved the idea of Cercis Canadenses - maybe Lavender Twist - but it looks pretty boring when it's not in flower! Also I already have a Hillings Weeping which is beautiful in flower but a bit meh the rest of the time :)  The bed is away from the wall by about three metres, so any climbers would have to be on an obelisk.  I have a Solanum Crispum Glasnevin I want to move, but it'll just be way too huge for that particular site.  I have a very long list of fave plants, and I love choosing plants, but the fun is going out of this cos I can't quite figure this bed out yet!

  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    You are far more knowledgeable than me so to quote  Dragons Den which I'm watching at the moment..." it's for that reason I'm out"
    I'm sure there will be others will some good suggestions 
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    We might be inspired if you could post a photo of the area, perhaps...
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • Tanty2Tanty2 Posts: 231
    :)  Where it's clear and ready for new planting, I will.  It's been a holding bed for ages, I'm just relocating the stuff that's in it.
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