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Dilemma........wot to choose?
I now have an abundance of perennials and grasses available to plant out in spring.....because of divisions and purchases......and they are all, for me, must haves. I tend to grow lots of grasses cos I love em but have loads of sheer colour power for next year too. I will expand a couple of borders and revamp another but right now am at a loss as to more grasses instead of flower. Both appeal to me
of course, this is a ".problem" for all of you too so what are you planning to grow more/less of next year and are you thinking larger Impact groups or more individuals? Radical changes, subtle ones, more low maintenance, more structure perhaps?
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Less little gems that need me to constantly protect them from the big bag weeds
In the sticks near Peterborough
Much like Nut, I am trying to go over to more perennials to save weeds and seed sowing, having said that, I love to do the seeds and the annuals are much prettier. As my borders are quite big I do need to put about 5 or six of the same in a group, but really what I plant mostly depends on what I can get hold off. I have found the seed swap has been invaluable.
I'm always talking about growing less from seed Lyn but it's a bit of an obsession. All the shrubs and perennials are sitting out there now getting their chilling with more to follow in spring
Shrubs from seed generally means a year or 2 nurturing in a pot at least, maybe more.
I must be nuts
In the sticks near Peterborough
I'm trying to go for more of an organised colour scheme, in the past couple of years I've had a tendency to grow everything and anything that I like the look of lol
So next year I'm trying to restrict myself to a few select plants when it comes to Annuals in either Reds or Whites, Along with some of the Tumbelina Petunia 'Melissa' which will be used in baskets along with other bedding.
I've also already had the idea to plant the front border at the front of the house with 'Antirrhinum - Royal Bride'.
I'd also like to add to some of my permanent planting with more Grasses, oh and to try some more Veggies!
I'm trying to do the same as NGCARDS- stick to the colour scheme or theme per bed instead of randomly cramming plants in everywhere just because I have them...
I've decided a lot of my creations and experiments can sit around in pots for the summer...I'm still going to grow a lot from seed but less of each kind...
I do buy too many plants and now I'm learning to make too many too
I have this one border(area) every time I plant it up, lasts for a year then I dig up some. Never, ever looks how I want it. So this spring it's, not quite starting again, but more trying to get a new balance to it all. Must be perennial
Also a veg bed is becoming a cut flower bed, I had 2 electric propagators from Father Christmas to help with this project. Will still be 3 veg beds.
The rest is an unknown quantity at present but garden I will
I don't bother with annuals as they require the same expenditure on compost on time for the sowing, pricking out and growing on as perennials and then you have to do it all over again the following year. Can't sow direct as the birds/slugs/weeds just get them.
I too have large borders to fill and always some losses after winter. I do buy Cosmos babies for OH cos he loves them and cleomes for me but otherwise I plan to sow more perennials such as lysimachia Beaujolais and others that I can't find in local garden centres and which I hope will last some years to come.
for me it's lots more Jungle feeling plants, bananas , cannas, gingers etc.
I seem to work on one area at a time, dividing perennials and yes, adding to them. I use a few annuals that I grow from seed to plug any gaps in the immature bed. I have an allotment so my seed sowing etc. is mainly veg.
I think there may well be some radical changes around here in 2015. We came here three years ago and got the bare bones in place - but now we're getting to know this patch and how the sun and shade affect it, not to mention the effects of the large trees on the boundary.
Some plantings will be altered - I think some more shade-loving foliage plants are called for, some beds need to be enlarged (to make room for plants waiting for a home), more structural plants are needed too, and maybe even another bed or two created.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.