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What to plant?

MaisieMMaisieM Posts: 100
in Plants
Looking for ideas on what to plant in a raised area at the back of my garden. The house is old & in the past had a midden at the back. The garden slopes up towards this area & we've built a retaining wall to tidy this bit up, with steps at the side to get up to the path behind the garden. Behind the wall is the remains of the midden (old brass bed ends, rubble & all sorts of stuff) and then soil & stones that have come from other bits we've dug up - mostly clay. So, we have an area about 8m long by 2m wide that has just been a patch of weeds. The path behind it is grass, then it's the edge of a field, full of weeds too! I did dig up all the weeds last winter & planted bulbs, which were mostly successful but the grass seed I put down in spring didn't grow. Now it's back to weeds & I'm wanting something to plant to make it look better & keep the weeds down. This bit gets full sun but we're west coast of Scotland, so lots of rain but not much frost. Right by the sea so we get battered by the wind & spray too. I think I want something that won't get too tall ( less than a meter?) but will cover the ground & look pretty at the same time. Ooops - that was a bit long, thanks for reading!!

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Hi @MaisieM - have you got a couple of photos you can add? It helps with getting a feel for the spot.  :)
    You'll probably find you'll need to have a bit of a windbreak to make it easier for plants to establish and thrive. When you border fields, there will always be a certain amount of weed ingress too, but a bit of hedging/shrubs etc can help counteract that too. 
    Have you had a look at what does well nearby too- in other gardens if there are any?
    Broom [genista] always does well in coastal areas, and would form a good backdrop for other plants too. Hardy geraniums will be fine. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • MaisieMMaisieM Posts: 100
    No photos - will need to find my camera (no mobile phone). Most shrubs do ok, maybe a little stunted compared to gardens further inland (my mum & I bought a big batch of escallonia macrantha, she's on a windy hill but further in from the coast & hers are at least 3x the height of mine). I've got a mixture of things in the garden, as has my neighbour up the way but the neighbour down the way (nearer the sea) spent £££ on plants and lost them all. That's why I just want something to cover the space up there as it's more exposed, that will look prettier than the weeds. Now, the geraniums are a good idea - there are lots growing further up the field edge (along with loosestrife & the dreaded montbretia) where folk have dumped their garden waste. Thanks Fairygirl!

  • InglezinhoInglezinho Posts: 568
    As I ken, West o Scotland is pretty windy. I lived for a year on the Isle of Jura. the thing to grow is fuschias. Even some warm-growing ones are hardy there.
    Everyone likes butterflies. Nobody likes caterpillars.
  • MaisieMMaisieM Posts: 100
    Inglezinho - I'm from Islay, so you weren't too far away from me. I have fuschias, they have survived but are tiny & that's in the sheltered bits!! 
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