Lost solo many plants in the snow. Would anyone like to choose new ones please!

[Millie1]

Another disastrous winter in our garden! Last year, it had just been landscaped and the landscapers replaced all dead plants at their expense. Not this year ... Cistus, Laurel, Choysia (sp?), grasses, and many more all gone.

So, I'm focusing on one bed at a time and not knowing my plants very well would love some help. It's a D shaped bed with a multi-stemmed Silver Birch in the middle. Working left to right there are 3x Choisia (probably gone but will give it another month), in front of that 3 x Lupins and Catmint x 3, geraniums x 5 along the frong curvy bit, something dead behind them, dead shrubs whose name escapes me,Verbena behind them, then 3 x Skimia and 4 hydrangea (okay) then 3 cistus (dead) taking us back to the beginning. Last year one half was in bloom whilst the other was green and it looked lopsided and horrible so this is a good opportunity really!

We'd like to balance it with a mix of shrubs and flowers which will give spring/summer long colour but need some evergreens so as it has something during winter. So any ideas please?

Heck, sorry this has turned out to be an essay!!

Thanks

I'd suggest having another go with the Cistus & Choisya but invest in some plant fleece for next winter. They're pretty tough from year 2 onwards but a bit tender year 1. Cover them with fleece and they'll probably come through. Can you grow <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.goldenhillplants.com/images/products/pieris-forest-flame.jpg&imgrefurl=www.goldenhillplants.com/pieris-forest-flame-2389-0.html&h=354&w=342&sz=41&tbnid=mogjJIaFCQA3KM:&tbnh=228&tbnw=221&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpieris%2Bforest%2Bflame&zoom=1&q=pieris+forest+flame&hl=en&usg=__uUmqYQ1BazSuWBpYFb-gxp2fDv4=&sa=X&ei=lcSQTYW0AYaWhQfD5Oy7Dg&sqi=2&ved=0CCEQ9QEwAA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pieris?... It's evergreen, very tough and gets creamy tassels on it. Likes a more acidic soil and the leaves are very colourful in the spring. A woody evergreen shrub that you can clip in to a nice shape (good as a low hedge) is Escallonia.... apple-blossom style flowers and tough as old boots.

I'm very fond of <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.gardenersworld.com/objects/plant-detail-i/PL00002311_Echinops_lg1.jpg&imgrefurl=www.gardenersworld.com/plant-detail/PL00002311/7607/globe-thistle&usg=__8Kc2DVxiqcMFrkhFCPEjZjO8jCc=&h=370&w=260&sz=53&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=IDHgz9mr2pTCwM:&tbnh=172&tbnw=119&ei=tMSQTc7vK4a4hAfKg63GDg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dechinops%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26rlz%3D1T4ADFA_enGB350GB350%26biw%3D1345%26bih%3D476%26tbs%3Disch:1%26prmd%3Divns&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=133&vpy=57&dur=889&hovh=268&hovw=188&tx=121&ty=170&oei=tMSQTc7vK4a4hAfKg63GDg&page=1&ndsp=13&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Echinops (Globe Thistle) as a feature plant. Very hardy indeed, dies back each winter and sprouts the next spring. Amazing blue tennis-ball sized blooms in the late summer. Good luck

A bay? lemon thymn, Camellias? all are everygreen and hardy. Read up on camellias, beautiflul shrubs that flower very early Jan/feb with exotic blooms.

Box balls would work rather well in your borders, a spot of evergreen structure here and there, the perfect backdrop for your perennial pants, and hardy too!

I always say Ceanothus, have a real soft spot for it, particularly "Puget's BLue" which is insanely blue. THey smell of honey. CAn be a bit susceptible to really cold weather, but I've never lost one.

Also, what about Dogwoods? if you have a multistemmed birch, something like <a class="break-all" href="//pwww.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=dogwood+midwinter+fire&wrapid=tlif130133587325010&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1600&bih=856" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">midwinter fire would look good

Thank you for the replies and so many suggestions. I love the Echinops, Chil. Yes, I think replacing the Cistus and Choysia is a good idea (annoyingly the both survived their first winter but not this - shall buy a tonne of fleece for next yr!) but I'll probably make the most of this and move them around a bit. Love Ceanthous Cat but unfortunately we have lost 6 of those in another bed. We have a lot of bed space - I sigh thinking of the weeds which are showing their ugly heads already! Melina box balls sound great but we have box hedging bordering four other beds - creates a path and Borders patio - might be too much to incorporate into a bed. And we lost a camellia in an adjacent bed. God, it's bad, isn't it? I think last year the landscapers replaced well over 100 plants!

Okay, another question ... has anyone used Sarah Raven for plants? I've bought seeds before but not young plants - thinking along the lines of Dianthus, Phlox, gladioli etc? Seduced by the catalogue

Thanks again!

I've used Sarah Raven for plants, I highly recommend her! I had some lovely Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost' plug plants from her last spring, the service was excellent, the plants were healthy, and they thrived once planted. Go forth and purchase! ..beware, it becomes rather expensive!!!

Oh thanks Melina ... have spent the morning browsing the Sarah Raven catalogue ... we've loads of space to fill aside from that one bed. What is the concensus on growing from seed directly planted into the beds? Can't wait to get shopping now!