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I want to "interbed" some flowers please help
hannahwilson31899621
Posts: 3
in Plants
So this will probably sound very apparent that I have zero clue to what I am going on about but we are moving soon & I want a very hassle free simplistic garden. Just a patio grass a shed & at the back only one boarder of flowers. The flowers all have to be red or burgandy, I don't want a mix of colours & I want them all to pop up at different times of the year so as one set dies another pop up so there is this constant red/burgandy boarder all year round. (Or as close as we can get it) preferably something that just self seeds so I do this once & I don't need to do again. Something that is hassle free. Xx
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Flowers are not there all year round so perhaps some burgundy leaves would be a thought. You could look at Heuchera's or Heucherellas depending on aspect and soil.
If it is a small garden and you are looking at it in winter you will need some structure from evergreens?
A lovely plant that you will see in the Garden Centre's at the moment is Helleborous Ann's Red there are others available
The problem with trying to achieve succession planting is one plant in flower with little support from other can look lost. Groups of odd numbers of the same plant has more impact. Long flowering plants with different shaped leaves is the way to go.
A small border can have many challenges and will always need editing through the season. Good Luck Suze
However - can you give some info about your location and climate [general], the size and aspect [direction it faces] the border will be, and what time you have to maintain it. That will help with suggestions because what grows happily in the south of England won't necessarily thrive [or survive] if you're further north, in an exposed site, or at serious altitude.
If you only have flowering plants without any structural shrubs and foliage plants, it makes it even harder to achieve, because winter flowering plants are more difficult to find, especially with a limited colour palette, and there will tend to be gaps. Self seeding plants narrows it further, because not all flowering plants do that easily either if your location is colder and wetter, and those that seed easily can often dominate an area, leaving you with little else.
Nothing is completely maintenance free though, so you'll still have to spend some time on it, which is why putting in some shrubs, and even some grasses if the site suits, is generally an easier option.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
In the south of the country with fairly good drainage Pannicum Squaw would be a favourite of mine.
Just digging a trench out can be problematic if the soil is heavy clay, for example, as it can just become a sump. In dry sandier soil, some plants will struggle especially if you're in a drier part of the country. That's becoming a big problem in many areas.
I think it might be easier to have some containers, rather than a border, and possibly stick to the main times of year you're using the garden. You could then sow annuals each year for very little outlay, and you'll get help with that if you need it. Garden centres and other outlets also have small plants which can make a quick display - you'll get those in a couple of months or soemtimes earlier. Again, that's where your climate matters as you need to ensure they won't be affected by serious cold weather or heavy rain when they're small. When it gets to autumn/winter, you could have a few shrubs in their place. That wouldn't need too much attention.
You could have some climbers on the fence, and there will be plenty of choices there re the red or burgundy colours, but they need supports, a prepped hole and then the right pruning, although some need very little. That would add colour for part of the year. Some climbing plants have good autumn colour which would fit [Parthenocissus] but they're not usually ideal for fences. Better for walls.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Do you know whether the bed will be in sun or shade? Different plants have different needs.
If you just want to throw seeds into it then go to a garden centre and look for packets with pictures of red flowers, labelled "hardy annuals".
For a more serious border with bulbs and perennials you will need several trips to a garden centre at different times of year to buy your red flowers. Start with hellebores, tulips, plant some dahlia tubers in spring, buy plants such as astrantia, penstemon, salvias, cirsium, hemerocallis, heleniums, achillia, alstromerias, making sure they are the red variety ones. By the time you've done all that you may have caught the gardening bug!
It may be easier, but more expensive, to buy some large attractive pots to place around the future pool or on the terrace. Fill them with compost and plant bedding plants that you can buy from a garden centre in the spring. They will need regular watering.
Unfortunately, plants are living things and grow according to the season so you are wishing for the impossible. As you are planning to build a swimming pool perhaps it might be better for the time being to buy a few large containers to sow annuals in, very few flower in the winter, or some evergreen sub-shrubs like potentilla, cotinus, cordylines etc. They are not flowers but do come in the colour range you want. You will have to put up with some green.
Containers would need watering regularly during the summer.
I think as above has commented, a new build garden is notorious for abysmal soil, the developers usually throw some top soil over the rubbish they are leaving behind like lumps of concrete, stones etc. and laying some turf on top. Any area would need a good deep dig and enrichment before planting as very little in the way of plants will survive or thrive in builders' rubble.
Do you have any friends/family who might help out? A work party to prepare the bed while you provide refreshments perhaps? Just because you know nothing about gardening does not mean you cannot learn, asking here is a great way to begin. Keep asking.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.