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Busy borders

chembluechemblue Posts: 39
in Problem solving
Hi. Hope you are well and keeping safe. I am very new to gardening and seem to have grown a busy confusing border planting love in the mist,cranesbill geraniums, in with roses,hydrangeas,sunflower and anemone and some trailing plant that looks like lavatera? Also daffodil bulbs. Are these plants happy with each other. Should I remove any of them and when. How can I improve the look of them. It has almost become a dumping ground for plants. Look forward to hearing from you. Blessings to you 

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  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Lavatera isn't a trailing plant, so that's something else you have  :)

    Some of those won't be great together. Hydrangeas need quite different conditions from sunflowers for example, and the get very large. Geraniums can grow almost anywhere, and would be fine with roses. Nigellas like a sunny spot - like the sunflowers - and a poorer soil.
    There are different types of Anemone, so it will depend on the type you have. Many are happiest in shade.
    Daffodils can also have different requirements, but most are happy with some sun, and a reasonable soil, and are therefore good for growing with perennials, like the geraniums.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • parrotfeather*parrotfeather* Posts: 188
    I think it's great that you are experimenting and the bees  and butterflies will love it anyway.  This year I would just observe and decide which plants you like best.  Some, like the Love in a Mist and sunflowers, are annuals anyway so will not be back next year unless they seed themselves and the Daffodil bulbs will come up in the Spring whatever you put on the top of them.  Only the roses will be a bit more difficult to move around so providing you keep these happy you can change the rest if you want to.

    When planning it is a good idea to aim to plant three or five of something (subject to space) rather than single plants as otherwise it can look "bitty"and to research the conditions the plant needs.  It is also helpful to know the eventual size of what you plant...you probably have space for only one Hydrangea, for example, and you need to leave it room to grow if you want to get the best from it, but the geraniums and anemones might look better in larger drifts.  Be careful if you have planted Japanese anemones as these can spread very quickly, take over and be hard to get rid of, although beautiful when in flower, as they grow from the tiniest bit of root left behind.

    Colour planning is a very personal thing but it might help until you are more confident to group pinks, blues and purples together and put your sunflowers and any clashing roses somewhere else. Spring bulbs are a different matter as they flower before the rest.  Another way of unifying a border is to dot the same plants through it at intervals...you could use Alliums or Verbena, for example. The eye follows them and they link the other plants together. Also, don't forget the value of green, grey and silver leaves for the same reason...foliage plants can be very eye-catching but also soothing. Aim for a mix of tall spikes or spires (Lupins, Verbascum, Iris), rounded cushions (geraniums, Monardas, Phlox, etc) and statement leafy or see-through plants such as hostas, bergenia and Thalictrum, depending on your soil conditions, aspect and the space avaialble. .
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Repeat planting is always best, but if it's a small border, that can be difficult.
    Apart from making it bigger, the easiest way round it is to limit the number of varieties of different plants, and keep the colour palette small.

    Without more info from @chemblue though, and photos, it's difficult to be more specific than that. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • chembluechemblue Posts: 39


    As you can see above it is chaos. Therefore, any advice would be appreciated. This is a small part of the garden about 10ft wide
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I didn't see your photos @chemblue, but they aren't terribly helpful for advice I'm afraid. A photo from further away of the whole bed is what's required, and the general dimensions. 
    Some of those plants are unlikely to grow well in the same bed/aspect, as I said earlier.
    The soil doesn't look in very good condition either. Feeding the soil makes it easier to have success with plants, unless they're ones which like poorer conditions. Nigellas for instance do well in rubbish soil, but all the others you mention need some decent stuff to thrive. It wouldn't harm the nigellas, but poor soil isn't great for roses and hydrangeas, for example.
    It's important to understand the needs of different plants,  the rough dimensions they will grow to, and then place them in a bed with enough room round them to allow for their eventual height and spread. You can then move them around to see what works. Use a few canes to give an idea of eventual height, so that you can see if something is likely to be too short or too tall.  Spaces can be filled in with annuals etc until shrubs grow. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • chembluechemblue Posts: 39
    Hi. Hope you are well. Sorry got your message late afternoon yesterday. Thank you for your kind offer. That would be lovely next time you are available.  Take care and keep safe  
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