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Large garden planting advice

IlikeplantsIlikeplants Posts: 894
in Problem solving
i have a large garden and I’m trying to keep it low maintenance. It takes half a day just to mow it. And today I’ve been tackling the snowberry bushes which keep coming back in two areas of my border and just looks untidy. I want more colour and easy maintenance and at the moment have lavatera in the garden providing colour. Philadelphus was nice but the flowers didn’t last long. What other shrub is easy for impact in large gardens that I can repeat down the length of it? Lavender? Rudebekia? It’s parts of the garden that has to look after itself without my help other than pruning back or chopping down but has long lasting colour. I didn’t want to do dahlia yet there as I’d probably forget to water or deadhead it there. Any suggestions welcome. 
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  • robairdmacraignilrobairdmacraignil Posts: 782
    If you are looking to plant for long lasting colour maybe a shrub grown more for interesting foliage rather than for flowers might be the way to go. Pittosporum have a number of nice varieties including silver queen. Ceanothus, berberis, osmanthus and potentilla might also be worth considering and small trees like amelanchier might also be an option if you want something with more seasonal variation.
    Happy gardening!
    https://www.youtube.com/user/sustainableveg/videos
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    It's easier to advise if you can post photos and an idea of how much sun and soil type, clay, sandy etc.
    Plus get someone else in to mow the lawn!
  • rachelQrtJHBjbrachelQrtJHBjb Posts: 819
    I highly recommend "The Creative Shrub Garden" by Andy McIndoe. With over 25 years' experience at Hillier's, including masterminding their Grand Pavilion displays at Cheslea, there is little he does not know about this subject. His book gives excellent advice regarding combinations and his own garden - which I have visited and is the subject of many of the book's photographs - has much interest and colour, a lot of which is derived from the exciting shrub and tree combinations. 
  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    Worth addings shrubs with colourful foliage to the mix, like loropetalum. But some photos will help give us a starting point for more informed suggestions. Christopher Lloyd used to say that low maintenance equates low interest...and he was largely correct. If you're not prepared to plan for the different seasons and the upkeep then maybe you can get some help with the dull chores like the mowing to free space for colour and flowers to be planted and looked after. 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    I agree with Mr Lloyd. However, things like Buddleia alternifolia, Cornus kousa, Euonymus alatus and Cornus alternifolia 'Argentea' would be useful in adding seasonal interest along the lines of the Amelanchier Rob suggests, rescuing it from looking too 'supermarket-car-park-ey.' Miscanthus would be a worthwhile addition as it has a long season of interest and is strong and long lived compared to other ornamental grasses. And you can allow space for herbaceous perennials among the shrubs - along with spring bulbs of course.
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    Cone flowers (echinacea) come in a variety of colors and shapes/sizes.  The flowers last for months.. and the only maintenance required is chopping down all the old growth each spring.  
    Utah, USA.
  • DevonianDevonian Posts: 176
    Another vote for the foliage colour. Definitely worth checking soil type, and think about what sort of 'look' you want to achieve. Small trees such as Japanese Maples look lovely all-year round in my opinion (even without leaves as the branch structure is so attractive).

    Camellias, Rhododendrons and Azaleas are lovely for colour in the first half of the year and low-maintenance but need acidic soil. 

    Pieris is a great option too, lovely vibrant colour and low-maintenance shrubs.

    Think about shape/structure too for adding interest. For example, some 'tropical' looking plants such as trachycarpus add interest because of the leaf shape. Topiary might be an idea too with slower-growing varieties that only need light pruning every now and then.

    Lastly think about movement; as an earlier comment suggested grasses which are low-maintenance but also provide interest with movement and how it plays with the light.

    Have fun!
  • IlikeplantsIlikeplants Posts: 894
    Full time work and family and no spare cash for a mowing or hedging person so we do that ourselves. Saving up for a third tree surgeon visit in 10 years. We didn’t set out to buy a large garden, it just came with the most suitable house for us at the time. It has evolved slowly and I think for the better by us. It had so many random dull conifers or leylandi type trees dotted around to start with and looked very dark. I’ve lightened it and added fruit trees and veg patch and flowers. It’s mostly clay soil but it does get a lot of sun too so parts can get very dry to work if we don’t have rain. Thank you for suggestions, I’ll start looking them up. The garden in spring looks different to now. Cone flowers sounds good too. I’m sad some of my new perennials didn’t come back this year like heurucha and Coreopsis- bit of a mystery to me. 
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    Coreopsis don't like it when other perennials encroach on them, I bet it was that.

    Along the lines of low maintenance perennials that are very dependable, Geranium maccorhizum, Geranium 'Rozanne' and 'Anne Thompson', Persicaria amplexicaulis ('Firetail', 'Rosea' etc) and Sedums e.g. Sedum 'Matrona' are right up there. Roses can be low maintenance too, there are groundcover types which can be hacked back as desired, and tough shrub roses like Rosa 'Rosarie De l'Hay'.
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    Photos  would certainly help, as gardens are not all the same and need different solutions.
    My garden is also large, on a hillside, and rural. The slope makes it hard to mow, and it takes me more than one day, as I do each part at a time. Because it is rural it is ideally suited to being a wildlife garden, so most of it doesn't get mown at all or only at long intervals and I have meadow areas for  spring and summer colour, with just mown paths. I allow native wildflowers to grow as much as possible,  to get more diversity, though some editing is needed for the most vigourous ones to maintain a balance.
    If you choose plants that are well suited to your soil and conditions they are more likely to thrive, require less care and cost you less in replacements.
    Many plants if they are happy will spread and, if chosen carefully, this is a good thing in a large garden as it allows you to achieve the scale required to look good, at no extra cost. Some are outright thugs, to be avoided at all costs. In my garden the common orange montbretia and yellow flowered Lysimachia punctata fall into this category and are on my 'Exterminate!' list  but others, such as the Persicarias I am happy to tolerate as they offer good garden value and are fairly easy to control if need be.
    Some plants can surprise you if conditions change. My Darmera peltata grew peaceably for many years in its original space, but really took off following last year's wet summer and winter here. The bit I had planted in a wetter part of the garden I am having to remove altogether, so that I can grow other plants there too! Plants that prefer it drier may be more successful at self seeding after a hot, dry year so you have more plants/weeds to deal with in subsequent years.
    It will be a long and sometimes seem a slow process but one that can be enjoyed along the way. Mine is still evolving after 36 years! Good luck :)
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