Plant like Michaelmass Daisies?

[RobotMenu]

I want plants that grow. Large, die back so I can tidy the garden over winter and aren't woody. Oh and don't grow 6ft or end up taking over the whole garden.

And are easy...

Thank you!

[BeachysSandyFlipFlops]

Cosmos, but they are annuals?

[BeachysSandyFlipFlops]

Or Rudbeckia? They are perennial.

[Ifailed]

Dahlias do this, but don't flower until summer. You may have to lift the tubers in the winter if you have bad frosts.

[RobotMenu]

Thank you! I'll google these

I'm determined to get my garden sorted this year.

[pratiaalba]

Primulas? (the 'ball' type on a long stem)

[shovetheholly]

Am I right in thinking you want a lot of flowers but absolutely minimal maintenance? Because that is a little bit impossible!

There are, however, low-ish maintenance choices you can make. These often involve a lot of shrubby things (these can be beautiful too) with some bulbs and some easy-care flowers in front. Things like geraniums, japanese anemones, geums, schizostylis will give you perennial flowers with minimal fuss. However, they will still need a bit of attention, not least because nature is a constant competition, with one established plant trying to strangle the hell out of another. Not only will your garden plants compete with each other, but weeds will come in and be fitter and more vigorous than your plants. So you will still have to intervene, just not as often as with a garden full of difficult and demanding plants!

[DoreenLethal]

What you need to look for is low maintenance perennials.

I use things like Echinacea, grasses, rudbeckia, geum, phlomis, and a plethora of herbs, with some ground cover which I have as strawberries, sweet woodruff, creeping thyme and rosemary, and woolly thyme. Bung a few trees in for height - I have quinces, apples, cherries and paper bark maple with a twisty hazel and bob's your uncle.

[DoreenLethal]

And underplant the whole lot with bulbs, tulips, alliums, daffs, grape hyacinth.

[RobotMenu]

Am I right in thinking you want a lot of flowers but absolutely minimal maintenance? Because that is a little bit impossible!

How did you guess?

I'm actually doing a lot of work- actually preparing the soil, levelling it off and cutting back where is needed, but i sort of want to then plant, sit back and enjoy!

[RobotMenu]

Thank you to all the other replies! I'll go and look them up.

I've got some euonymus (i looked it up), a holly bush, a fern thing (fern like branches with teeny tiny leaves on), a tall bushy bush and a tiny rose.

Part from the rose, I've got lots of lovely greenery and pretty leaves. Now that I've hacked it all back pruned, I've got spaces that I want to add colour to. Because of the bushes, small plants will be lost (I think), so I thought about larger plants that will die back (to make it easier to tidy the garden up over winter time).

So far, I have lupins, but don't think they will flower this year...

[Badders123]

Asters?

[LikeASoulWithoutAMind]

Perennial geraniums - pick the right one and it will spread a bit to make more plants (just dig bits up and put them where you want them) and flower for ages. Lots of different colours.

It gets a bit woody after a few years but erysimum bowles mauve flowers nearly all year. V good value.
Sedum has a long period of interest as well.
Alchemilla mollis perhaps?

There are flowering shrubs you might consider - eg hebe or potentilla?

YY to bulbs too - I adore tulips (but they should really be treated as annuals), white daffodils, crocus, alliums. You will need to clear all the foliage away after they've died back though.

How much sun do your borders get?