I've planted my alliums in between other perennials like heleniums - kniphofia. Unless you want dahlias etc in that given space I just leaves them in the ground.
Perki, good to hear you have heleniums and kniphofia alongside alliums, which was what I was planning.
Conscious of what punkdoc advised re: evergreen shrubs - just out of interest Perki do you have anything evergreen that complements your planting scheme? Maybe I'll have to have a think of some 'non-bushy' shrubs, with height not width. Not sure what that could be..
I dont have much winter colour I only have a hand full of evergreens in my whole garden, but I dont have a big garden either to accommodate what I want and lots of winter interest. I do have some winter interest with a camilia - viburnum tinus - hellebores - evergreen tiarella / heuchera and snowdrops. If I had a bigger garden I love to have some large topiary.
I decided I wanted mostly a late flowering herbaceous borders, I have fruit trees and a newly planted amelanchier - laburnum to add structure and spring interest and some late spring - early summer flowering perennials and bulbs.
Heleniums are one of my main plants for summer flowering to the first frost, I will have four variety's by tomorrow, I got sahin early - moerheim beauty - indian summer and waltraut hopefully arriving tomorrow. I have some allium sphaerocephalon planted with helenium sahin early but unsure how well it will turn out.
I have kniphofia Timothy planted with allium christophii.
Perki, your garden sounds like mine . Have a viburnum tinus at the far end of he garden, two laburnums one in top left corner and another to the right of it.
Will probably put in a viburnum burkwoodii Anne Russell in the new bed in front of the laburnum, and philadelphus belle etoile in the lower right corner (I'm aware these are both deciduous). I've got hellebores in front of the trellis at the top end and a camellia in a pot just outside of the picture.
Maybe one more shrub would do it in the 'large' area of the bed as the narrowest point is only 75cm so not great for much...
I'm also still keen on the espaliered fruit tree suggestion as suggested above - will need to do some investigation to see what's good and self pollinating for that spot
Have just visited RHS Rosemoor; in their "hot" garden and other places they have left the allium heads and plants have grown up around and through them. The allium seed heads give a dotty effect and the taller ones a structure providing a foil for the bright colours of helenium a daias etc, really nice.
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I think you need to be careful, that if you don't have some evergreen shrubs, you will have a very sparse looking border in the winter.
IMO, you need some year round structure.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
I've planted my alliums in between other perennials like heleniums - kniphofia. Unless you want dahlias etc in that given space I just leaves them in the ground.
Perki, good to hear you have heleniums and kniphofia alongside alliums, which was what I was planning.
Conscious of what punkdoc advised re: evergreen shrubs - just out of interest Perki do you have anything evergreen that complements your planting scheme? Maybe I'll have to have a think of some 'non-bushy' shrubs, with height not width. Not sure what that could be..
Fastigiate yew.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
I dont have much winter colour I only have a hand full of evergreens in my whole garden, but I dont have a big garden either to accommodate what I want and lots of winter interest. I do have some winter interest with a camilia - viburnum tinus - hellebores - evergreen tiarella / heuchera and snowdrops. If I had a bigger garden I love to have some large topiary.
I decided I wanted mostly a late flowering herbaceous borders, I have fruit trees and a newly planted amelanchier - laburnum to add structure and spring interest and some late spring - early summer flowering perennials and bulbs.
Heleniums are one of my main plants for summer flowering to the first frost, I will have four variety's by tomorrow, I got sahin early - moerheim beauty - indian summer and waltraut hopefully arriving tomorrow. I have some allium sphaerocephalon planted with helenium sahin early but unsure how well it will turn out.
I have kniphofia Timothy planted with allium christophii.
Will probably put in a viburnum burkwoodii Anne Russell in the new bed in front of the laburnum, and philadelphus belle etoile in the lower right corner (I'm aware these are both deciduous). I've got hellebores in front of the trellis at the top end and a camellia in a pot just outside of the picture.
Maybe one more shrub would do it in the 'large' area of the bed as the narrowest point is only 75cm so not great for much...
I'm also still keen on the espaliered fruit tree suggestion as suggested above - will need to do some investigation to see what's good and self pollinating for that spot
Small update - starting to take shape but lots still to plant in here :-)
Can't believe it's only 2 weeks since the last picture... But more done since then!
Looking better now - poppies all finished, time for heleniums :-)
Have just visited RHS Rosemoor; in their "hot" garden and other places they have left the allium heads and plants have grown up around and through them. The allium seed heads give a dotty effect and the taller ones a structure providing a foil for the bright colours of helenium a daias etc, really nice.