Forum home Garden design
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

A perennial for a shady, long and very narrow border

2

Posts

  • SalinoSalino Posts: 1,609

    ..I too have a narrow border about the same length... what I did initially was to plant a row of bedding Begonia's...all along the strip until I got other plants established.... not evergreen but plenty of colour in a shady border for best part of the year...

    ...these other plants are Liriope muscari...evergreen grassy plant flowers late in the year... but they are expensive to buy and has taken me a few years to build up...bit tatty in Spring but they can make a shady narrow border look a bit classy I think...

    ... in between gaps I still use Begonias for the summer...and celandine 'Brazen Hussey' for Spring..as it soon disappears after flowering...

  • lydiaannlydiaann Posts: 300

    Convollaria (lily-of-the-valley); polygonatum (Solomon's seal); euphorbia; by constant splitting of plants, you could put hostas in there - they have some beautiful varieties and the neighbours/friends/relatives will be grateful of new plants every year.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,129

    It's the six inches wide that's the problem - I'm afraid that hostas would get damaged by the passing wheelie binsimage


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,058

    There are some little hostas that may be OK but I usually find they're best in pots on a display stand so you can appreciate them.   I'd go for something easy to maintain that doesn't suffer from slugs or mildew or other problems so hardy geranium macrorhizum every time as it's evergreen in normal winters and the foliage is scented and turns red for added interest. 

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,129

    Geranium mac. is sounding more and more the likely choice image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,110

    Bergenia Dove?

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,129

    Even my newly planted bergenia in another bed is about a foot wide - I think those lovely big shiny leaves would get trashed by the wheelie bins.


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • SalinoSalino Posts: 1,609

    ..I would think twice about planting this Geranium in a 6 inch width....it has an indefinite spread and would be almost impossible to contain in such a small space..

    ..this one was planted as a single stem with root 4 years ago...it's now 4 foot wide each way...

     

    image

     

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,129

    If I spoke to it nicely and asked it to grow outwards rather than across the path???

     I could explain about the danger of getting its toes run over by the wheelie bin image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,441

    How about Geranium cantabrigiensis. A cross between macrorrhizum and dalmaticum. Less likely to hang over the edge as is smaller.

    http://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/92274/Geranium-x-cantabrigiense-Biokovo/Details

    http://www.perennials.com/plants/geranium-cantabrigiense-cambridge.html

    but don't buy anyimage



    In the sticks near Peterborough
Sign In or Register to comment.