How to fill two small borders so early in the year?

[trinni]

Hi all knowledgeable gardeners.

I have two semi circular borders approx a meter wide that need filling. Ideally with lots of colour and interest. They are against a partially sunny wall and are approx 3 feet deep at the widest point.

I tend to always use summer bedding and as a result, end up with nothing in spring.

Can someone please advise me?

Ooh, I can't advise but I have just tried to post almost exactly the same question and lost it! Can I piggyback on this thread please?

You're welcome robino!

I hope someone nice comes along as I'd really like to get cracking.

I have a bed about to bloom (lots of aquilegias) but by July it's looking very bland. I can't afford any bedding plants, so have to make do with my geraniums and my self seeded marigolds

Currently there are tulips/daffs/snowdrops and primroses, I think my first aquilegias will be out in about 2 weeks.

I just googled aquilegia and I love those little pom pom ones, they're very pretty.

I wonder whether they can be bought as potted plants now? I need to be more organised about planting seeds I think!

BTW geraniums are always a firm favourite with me. Do you grow them from seed?

Are you looking for bedding or perennials, or a mix?

You want height? Like, shrub/s in the middle?

If its just bedding you could do e.g. wallflowers, forget-me-nots & tulips. All flowers from April & looks nice till June.

Add some daffs for early spring. Or sweet williams are nice.

Stick a nice rose in the middle of each and you get a centre point of interest?

TOGK, you sound like you know what you're talking about

All you mention would be lovely but can I buy them in pots now?

Ideally and eventually (when I get my timing right) I will have borders full of colourful perennials. I'm just clueless with regard to the planting of seeds!

Well, you can in garden centres but it might be pricey IYKWIM... its a bit late for spring bedding now.

Wallflowers and forget-me-nots both available in late September- wallflowers are usually about 10 for a fiver bare root in garden centres. Pack lots in! You can plant forget-me-nots then too, or sew seed- they self spread after that really easily & fill borders with pale blue flowers. Do it next year though, its cheap and looks really good.

This year at this time I think your limited to primulas & pansies for bedding. If you want to plant perennials at this time of year theres lots to choose from , I guess go to garden centre & just choose whats looking nice- the only thing in my garden looking good at the moment is euphorbias & lavender!

Thank you Kitty. I've saved your suggestions in a document to remind me later in the year

I thought as much...primulas & pansies for bedding but they are colourful and pretty.

I'm going to dedicate the day tomorrow to making my borders lovely. I'm looking forward to it!

Thanks

Ah, I bet they look lovely! Dont forget a bag of compost to top the bed off- its only about £3 but it makes the whole thing look much nicer and will do the soil good too!

My current passion is wallflowers-perennial ones [albeit short lived].I've just bought 3 large ones in purple [Bowles i think].I'm going to underplant with orange pansies with a miniature purple diamon... clematis growing up a tripod in the middle.I'm going to do this in a very large pot but i don't see why you can't do something similar in a small border.The wallflowers and pansies are in flower now and the clematis flowers all summer with massive purple flowers.Sarah Raven also have a lovely wallflower called 'winter orchid' which is supposed to flower all summer.You could add colour with Iris's and orange crososmia or dahlias/lilys.For next spring buy a job lot of bulbs and plant in sept. to nov. to achieve continual flowering from febuary onwards.

Constantly replacing winter and summer bedding is expensive - go for bulbs and perennials, as has been suggested.

Alchemilla mollis is another lovely plant. Aquilegia are very easy from seed and so are geraniums but the plants wouldn't flower until next year. Check the other 'novice gardener' threads for more ideas.

Check out local boot fairs, WI markets etc - at this time of year, there are often plants for sale.

Oh, and a wigwam of sweetpeas would also add height.

Aquilegias at this time of year can often be bought in small pots, the type 3 for £5 type of thing. Check out ebay and your local market as well.

At the moment, the 99p Store has aquilegias for (obviously) 99p. Lidl are selling 2 geraniums (Ballerina and Brookside) for £1.99. These are all bare root plants, which you need to grow on in pots for a few weeks and then plant out.

You know you've posted a good gardening question when CITGMaud is all over it like bindweed.

I have a sunny border along my front path which is chocka with daffs and tulips now, has a carpet of ground-hugging sedum for later in the summer, and up the fence goes a solanum and sweet peas. Not a lot at the mid level, couple of crocosmia tucked in the corner by the front door - I might grab a few iris bulbs if I have cause to go by the pound stores any time soon.

I don't know what you mean, Lexi. This is the time of year when I officially renounce housework and devote my energies to gardening.

the only thing I displace by gardening is parenting

Grape hyacinths are in flower now and monksbane are just starting to come out. I think you can buy little pots of the grape hyacitnths now or just get the Sept bulbs. They were nice and cheap from wilkinsons.

I stuck bulbs in last year ready when then come cheap so you also need to start thinking about what coming next iyswim maybe putting some autumn flowering bulbs in now ready. alongside the spring/ summer flowers.

ATM I have some helibores (the ones in the shade have done the best) Pink Tulips (I bought a 2kg bag from Lidl last year and they are Fab). My hyacniths have gone over and so have the narcisi. The aquilegia are everywhere this year as they self set so If you buy a few in pots they will fill the gaps for next year easily. I also have some big clumps of primoroses (again self setting).

Morrisons is pretty good for plants and bulbs. 21 summer bulbs (in matching colours) are around £3 at the moment. I buy bulbs and lavenders etc from them - they also do larger clematis at around £5. Also primroses around £1.

I would ask friends, neighbours for cuttings or any dividings...you will be amazed at how gardeners like to share.

Lidl and wilkinsons for cheap seeds but really you need some structure all year.

you might find potted tulips etc in some nurseries and you can put them into the garden now for some short colour.

I'd say without any doubt plant some HELLIBORES. beautiful range of colours from white to deep plum and they seed like mad. There is also a larger lime green one called H Stinka ( cos it smells) but lovely flowers.

Blue muscari- grape hyacinth - are lovely and again they spread.

Smaller plants for gound cover include Pulmonaria, in pink or blue, and there 's also Bleeding Heart in white or pink- grows about 12-18 inches high.