It's a horrifically invasive plant, pendula. If you have it, take it out unless you want nothing else in your garden! The Carexes I mentioned earlier are fine- smaller, tidy ones like Everest, Evergold etc. Evergreen , so ideal for hiding edges.
Interesting that A. mollis is evergreen for you @Buttercupdays. Even after our very mild winter, it still isn't here.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I posted a very similar thread a few weeks ago and got some very helpful replies. I've stolen @Pete.8 's helpful ideas and just bought some creeping thyme, as well as some grasses and some sedums which will spread.
Planting ornamental grasses on the dry edge and rushes in the pond have really helped considerably to distract the eye from the liner edge. It's still quite visible as the plants outside (and inside at the back edge) are very young and I haven't even planted the thyme yet, but you get the idea...
I've got some edging in my pond that needs to be softened up with planting, see here:
My idea is to plant something in between the pebbles and let it raft out over the lip of the liner. I'd wondered about putting a couple of brooklime plants in there but would welcome any other ideas? The pond is already well-stacked with emergent plants so I'm keen for something which doesn't have much height and I've already earmarked a couple of other spots for lysimacchia.
Thanks,
A.
I've planted dwarf comfrey around part of the edges of my pond. It's nice the way it flops over the edge hiding the liner when the water level drops. Also it's evergreen and the bees love it.
Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.
Thanks @Pete.8 and @Fairygirl Still got a way to go but I feel like it's an improvement. The rushes aren't really evergreen so I'm thinking of planting more of the hard rushes instead (which are) but I'd need to make some room. @Pete.8 out of interest where did you buy your Jekka and creeping oregano from? The only place I could find for mail order (no local places have it) was Sarah Raven and I've heard mixed reviews of plants from there. I found some other creeping thymes from the lovely Beth Chatto at the weekend so went with those, but I do particularly love the look of the Jekka. Do you also know which oregano it was by any chance?
I wish I'd have focused more on rushes and grasses from the start instead of the vinca and other things I tried, none of which worked very well or were happy. The grasses I bought are a mixture of Everest, Evergold and something else to do with New Zealand Hope this is of some help @Astraeus and good luck
The dwarf Greek oregano is just from a pack of seed - widely available. It thrives here and pops up all over the garden - a yellow leaved one appeared this year. I think it's better than the Thyme in some respects - it says really bushy and nicely covers the liner, it blooms for much longer and is covered in bees and has a lovely scent. I snip all the dead stems down to the ground in spring and it springs back to life in no time.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Will thyme not struggle in a bog garden though? I think, given my set up, I'll need something that can survive having wet feet much of the time.
@Fairygirl, oh dear. I might have to lose the pendulas. As a bird's eye view, this is the pond. The pendulas are at the 'bottom' of the shot - two left, one right. In really struggling to think what to put in baskets between them - I could really do with some rafting plants. If I were to get rid of the carexes, I really don't know how I'd fill that entire shelf (depth 15cm).
Ah sorry @Astraeus I didn't realise it was a bog garden - then yes thyme would definitely not work. My problem was that the edge on the other side of my liner was just that - dry soil, no water spills up and over and into it.
If it's a bog garden you have lots of choices: as someone else mentioned Brooklime is great as it creeps up. It doesn't for me cover large areas though so it's more of an additional plant. I would really recommend rushes - even though they don't hide the liner on their own, they really distract your eye from it. I chose a mixture of hard rush and soft rush and ordered these and lots of other things from this supplier https://www.wildflowershop.co.uk/Pond Plants/Pond.htm#Marginal
They're only plug plants but these are easier to plant and grow remarkably quickly. I was really impressed with the condition and service. Soft rush isn't evergreen but hard rush is. Lots of other interesting things to choose from here too! I have a bit of a pond plant addiction
Thanks @Pete.8 - did you grow the thyme from seed too? I had seen Jekkas but they don't seem to deliver plants. Great on the Oregano - I'll get onto it!
I did get the thyme from Jekka's - However I spotted this on the site just now -
We no longer offer a general mail order service for our herb plants but we do offer a limited selection of Jekka's Culinary Herb Boxes. So I must have bought it while they still did mail order.
I did buy other plants from Sarah Raven a few years ago and the plants I got were fine - that was a few years ago though.
Posts
If you have it, take it out unless you want nothing else in your garden!
The Carexes I mentioned earlier are fine- smaller, tidy ones like Everest, Evergold etc. Evergreen , so ideal for hiding edges.
Interesting that A. mollis is evergreen for you @Buttercupdays. Even after our very mild winter, it still isn't here.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Planting ornamental grasses on the dry edge and rushes in the pond have really helped considerably to distract the eye from the liner edge. It's still quite visible as the plants outside (and inside at the back edge) are very young and I haven't even planted the thyme yet, but you get the idea...
(Just need to plant up the rest behind now!)
Before:
After (so far):
Once you get the bit along the back planted up, it'll really look great.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I wish I had space for a pond that size - do post some more pics in the summer
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I wish I'd have focused more on rushes and grasses from the start instead of the vinca and other things I tried, none of which worked very well or were happy. The grasses I bought are a mixture of Everest, Evergold and something else to do with New Zealand
https://www.jekkas.com/products/pt82
Cuttings are easy.
The dwarf Greek oregano is just from a pack of seed - widely available.
It thrives here and pops up all over the garden - a yellow leaved one appeared this year.
I think it's better than the Thyme in some respects - it says really bushy and nicely covers the liner, it blooms for much longer and is covered in bees and has a lovely scent.
I snip all the dead stems down to the ground in spring and it springs back to life in no time.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Will thyme not struggle in a bog garden though? I think, given my set up, I'll need something that can survive having wet feet much of the time.
@Fairygirl, oh dear. I might have to lose the pendulas. As a bird's eye view, this is the pond. The pendulas are at the 'bottom' of the shot - two left, one right. In really struggling to think what to put in baskets between them - I could really do with some rafting plants. If I were to get rid of the carexes, I really don't know how I'd fill that entire shelf (depth 15cm).
If it's a bog garden you have lots of choices: as someone else mentioned Brooklime is great as it creeps up. It doesn't for me cover large areas though so it's more of an additional plant. I would really recommend rushes - even though they don't hide the liner on their own, they really distract your eye from it. I chose a mixture of hard rush and soft rush and ordered these and lots of other things from this supplier
https://www.wildflowershop.co.uk/Pond Plants/Pond.htm#Marginal
They're only plug plants but these are easier to plant and grow remarkably quickly. I was really impressed with the condition and service. Soft rush isn't evergreen but hard rush is. Lots of other interesting things to choose from here too! I have a bit of a pond plant addiction
Thanks @Pete.8 - did you grow the thyme from seed too? I had seen Jekkas but they don't seem to deliver plants. Great on the Oregano - I'll get onto it!
We no longer offer a general mail order service for our herb plants but we do offer a limited selection of Jekka's Culinary Herb Boxes.
So I must have bought it while they still did mail order.
I did buy other plants from Sarah Raven a few years ago and the plants I got were fine - that was a few years ago though.
I see there are several sellers on ebay for Jekka's thyme seeds
The seeds appear to be genuine as there are photos of Jekka on the back-
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313&_nkw=creeping+thyme+jekka&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_odkw=creeping+thyme+jekka&_osacat=0
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.