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Help designing my new border

needanaccompanistneedanaccompanist Posts: 2
in Plants
Hi, All.
I'm a novice gardener, really, but have a massive garden that I keep discovering new bits of.  This month, I've cut back an overgrown section at the east end of my garden, and am going to put turf down to extend the lawn for my young son to play football.  However, I'm going to have a border all the way along the edge (next to a fence, with light coming from the west), and would love to fill it with loads of different shrubs for year-round interest and colour.  I know that I want buddleia and honesty, but can anyone suggest other shrubs or plants that I could fill the space with.  I have about 11 metres of length, and the border will be anything up to 1 metre wide.  Thanks so much!

Posts

  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Not wide enough!
  • needanaccompanistneedanaccompanist Posts: 2
    K67 said:
    Not wide enough!
    Oh, really?  What would you suggest?  I really do need some help with this, and I have reclaimed 4.5 metres of width ....
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    can you supply a photo and dimensions?
    If the garden is 5m wide, then 1m is wide enough if it's 50m wide it'll look stupid
    Devon.
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    We all make the mistake, well me anyway, of underestimating how big shrubs grow. You are given width and height but forget width isn't just side to side it's back to front as well.
    A buddleia near us is at least 6ft front to back and actually blocks the pavement.
     your children  don't want to be battling shrub branches as they run past, nor do want your shrubs damaged every summer.
  • newbie77newbie77 Posts: 1,838
    Nandina's are narrow evergreen shrubs. You can also plant climbers on trellis.
    South West London
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    There's something very sad about shrubs being forced into a narrow border as if they are waiting for the firing squad. If you can supply the dimensions of the garden and maybe a photo or two,  it would help.
    Nandina is a good idea, they are pretty tough. Should be able to cope with the odd stray football. 
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    My garden's about 3.6m wide, and my borders are about 90cm each side. With perennials and small or arching shrubs it's do-able. Fairygirl has a nice example of a narrow border that breaks the rule. But in a narrow space it would be better to have one wider border on one side, and 'pay for it' with just a very minimal border with a few climbers and wall-trained shrubs on the other. Even if you have more width to play with it still might make sense to have one extra-deep border that you can do a bit more with.

    Buddleia's a good idea, you can cut the whole thing to the ground in winter and it will come back nice and upright. There are almost infinite other options to fill the border but you'll have to give some sort of direction in terms of what you like, and some pics would help. If you want all year interest you're going to need to think in terms of succession planting, e.g. if you cut your Buddleia down in winter, can you plant something in the same space that occupies that space until the Buddleia grows back (coincidentally, Honesty might be just the thing, as it flowers quite early)
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • newbie77newbie77 Posts: 1,838
    i live in london and lots of gardens are only 6-7 meters wide and not so long either with full view of garden from kitchen diner all year around.. You need to be creative to find a good mix of climbers, narrow shrubs, perennials and annuals to have a border which looks nice all year around.
    South West London
  • newbie77newbie77 Posts: 1,838
    other shrubs which i can suggest are camellias, sarcococoa, hebe, hydrangea, roses, choisya.  also they can be kept to managable size for few years and if it feels they are no longer looking quite right replace then with fresh ones. some group 2 and 3 clematis, jasmine for climbers.
    South West London
  • SuesynSuesyn Posts: 664
    I would go for the "tough as old boots" type of shrubs, I know from experience how frustrating it is to nurture a plant to its full glory only to be destroyed by a stray football. 
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