Well I've had enough for today. Not much digging left to do now, hope to finish that tomorrow..
Still need to tidy and straighten the edges of the grass path. I've got quite a few plants in pots that can go in, but by the time they are planted they will just about have gone over, but will hopefully look good next year. Also need to give some thought to where I will be planting bulbs this autumn.
Well done @LeadFarmer. I would be inclined to add as much well rotted manure as you can to that bed before planting anything to help break down those clay lumps and improve the nutrients and/or drainage. You might be able to get at least 3 or 5 bags of it on special offer - 1 bag approx per square metre should do it.
If the border's more than 1 metre wide, you might also want to think about a few stepping stones here and there so you can weed it easily.
Lizzie27 as luck would have it someone I work with has a horse who has offered me some manure. I will definitely need some stepping stones so I can stand back from the hedge to cut the top with my long reach trimmers. Someone in my family has a rotator which I might borrow to go over it all when the soil is a bit drier
obelisks will look great, and I agree they will add height and be a good fit.
My main recomm for perennials for bees would be veronica longifolia, agastache, cerinthe and linaria; So maybe there is a blue/purple theme. Rozanne and Bowles Mauve always come in as top of the pollen/nectar stakes - partly because the have such long flowering seasons. White plants, they say, are best for moths, though I can't say I have ever seen a moth-mob at night. Fgmns and hellebores are good for early season pollen. There are some good single roses that offer a lot.
Garden looks beautiful! Is that geranium rozanne I can see?
Im not sure to be honest, there were a few of them in the garden when we moved in many years ago and I have been dividing them since, so I have quite a few now. I assumed they were geranium Johnsons Blue, but not 100% sure.
I can't help with design because it looks like you are doing great but I think it would look fabulous with clematis and a few chunks of bright red poppies here and there. Good luck... your garden is fab.
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Like the obelisk l must say.
Still need to tidy and straighten the edges of the grass path. I've got quite a few plants in pots that can go in, but by the time they are planted they will just about have gone over, but will hopefully look good next year. Also need to give some thought to where I will be planting bulbs this autumn.
If the border's more than 1 metre wide, you might also want to think about a few stepping stones here and there so you can weed it easily.