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New border ideas

utlockdowngardenerutlockdowngardener Posts: 23
in Plants
I want to create a brand new border in my front garden and wanted ideas on plants to buy which will be fast growing and make an impact this year. It is around 3m wide and can be up to 1m in depth. North facing so partial sun. Thank you!

Posts

  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    Do you want perennials or annuals? Annuals will grow the fastest and make the most impact, flowering all summer, but most like sunshine. If you want perennials that will make an impact then it would be best to go to your garden centre in spring or early summer and see what they have in larger size pots. That is more expensive but the plants are more mature.

    Begonias are bright and showy and are OK with shade, so are fuchsias.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Is there a wall or fence at the back if the border?
    What's your budget like as you can buy larger shrubs but they cost.
    Do you want perennial plants or just colourful annuals this year to fill in between permanent planting if budget is smaller.
    What's the soil like?
  • utlockdowngardenerutlockdowngardener Posts: 23
    I want mainly perennials, plants that will give interest throughout the seasons. Absolute novice gardener so grateful for all the advice! Thanks!
  • utlockdowngardenerutlockdowngardener Posts: 23
    Soil is heavy clay. No gel remover behind border. It is a square lawn so I want to dig an area from the lawn. I don’t mind spending £200 on plants as long as they don’t die after a year!

  • utlockdowngardenerutlockdowngardener Posts: 23
    Correction- no fence behind border*
  • AngelicantAngelicant Posts: 130
    I would recommend at least 3 small to medium size slow growing evergreen shrubs first such as Skimmia, Euonymous, Pittosporum to give some structure and interest in winter. Heucheras and hardy Osteospurmums also keep their leaves and Hellebores can flower through winter. Aquilegia is lovely in late spring. Salvias are pretty fast growing and long flowering as are Penstemons and Agapanthus and you can't go wrong with Day lilies and hardy geraniums (Rozanne is supposed to be the best)  but it's wise to keep them in check and divide them every 2 or 3 years if they start to take over. 
  • utlockdowngardenerutlockdowngardener Posts: 23
    Thank you for the advice! I’ve made a list of these plants.
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