Small perianals

zakzak · 28 February

I've just remo

ved

2 shrubs that had taken over.niveccut bk the spotted laurel to leaf nodes.vand I've made a tree chapel out of I think verbirnum. Any suggestions for blubs/ or small plants. I was thinking the fushia that comes bk every year.bive got some gladiolus too.

floralies · 28 February

I trust you mean Perennials and not what you have typed @zakzak

nutcutlet · 28 February

floralies said:

I trust you mean Perennials and not what you have typed @zakzak

yes, I was having some interesting ideas

JennyJ · 28 February

The sorts of fuchsias that reliably come back every year are the magellanica types and they make pretty large shrubs even though they look small and neat in the garden centre - one would fill that whole corner area in a few years all on its own. One of mine (F. magellanica var. molinae) will easily make 5 feet of growth in a summer, from a fairly hard spring pruning.

How much sun does the bed get, at ground level?

Small spring bulbs like crocus or scilla would be OK there in any case, for spring flowers (buy as bulbs in August/September, or you might find bargain potted ones if they're getting past the bud stage for this year). Spring flowering perennials like pulmonaria and brunnera would be OK I think. They'll take some shade and dryness at the roots from the shrub. Not sure about summer - many summer perennials are either taller than you have room for, or need sun. Maybe heuchera or tiarella?

Edit: Are you taking out the spotted laurel (Aucuba?)? If not, it'll be back with a vengeance!

zakzak · 28 February

Sorry for all the spelling errors. Yes I did mean perennials.

zakzak · 28 February

Yes jenny hopefully the spotted laurel is going providing we can get it out.

Fairygirl · 29 February

The general condition of the soil, year round, will also dictate what works, but hardy geraniums are always a sure bet, and you can combine those with lots of early spring bulbs like crocus and dwarf daffs, as @JennyJ is saying. I agree re the woody, hardy fuchsias too.
Bear in mind that when you remove shrubs, especially larger specimens, that will also affect the moisture levels, because they help take up excess moisture, but it also memans there will be more sun/light getting in. You already have quite a few shrubby specimens there, which can affect choices. If that tree is covering the area once it has it's foliage, that will also prevent rain getting in, so you have to think about that too. If you're in a drier area as well, it might be a very dry spot in summer, so add lots of organic matter - from now onwards, which will help that, and make it easier to establish planting

JennyJ · 29 February

Oh yes, I forgot the smaller types of hardy geraniums (the larger ones ones can get to 3 feet high and wide). Most of the widely available ones would be OK there if it's not totally shaded.

Fairygirl · 29 February

The whites are good if it's shadier too @JennyJ, although the flowering periods can be a bit shorter, but there are quite a lot of colourways, and so easy to get hold of them too.

JennyJ · 29 February

I like G. sanguineum varieties for ground cover that'll take a bit of shade and dry feet. The white one G. s. "album" and the pale pink "striatum" are good, and there are some deeper pink/magenta ones too.

For blue geraniums (purply-blue really) "Rozanne" is a popular hybrid variety and widely available, but I like "Orion" better.

zakzak · 29 February

Thankyou for all your advice and help. The soil is fairly good. Lots of worms . Easy digging. Apart from when your trying to get the shrubs out lol. What about a couple of roses do you think they would work. Gets sun from early morning till around 1ish in the afternoon.

Small perianals

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