Plant/shrub suggestions

[Theflyingnun]

Hi

I have a south facing garden and would love some suggestions for shrubs or plants I could plant in a boarder. The boarder would get the sun in the morning until about midday. I love magnolias do you think that would work? Thanks I’m a total garden novice/Black thumb

www.gardenersworld.com/plants/plants-for-a-south-facing-border/
Lots of advice on the web - enjoy your garden!

How do you work out which way your garden faces?

I think a magnolia would be too cramped that close to the fence, tbh. Unless you planted into the lawn.

Do you have any kind of colour scheme in mind?

Wips what I do is notice where the sun is rising in the morning when you get up - that will be in the East

                            North
     West                                     East 
                            South 

So the bit of your garden that is in the sun in the morning will be getting the rays of the sun shining on it from the East and that bit will be East facing .
And the other areas you can work out from that .Of course fences and trees etc will cast shadows and prevent not only sun but often also rain from reaching the area in front of them when the sun shines on their back .

Oh ,and as the months go into summer the sun gets higher in the sky . I have a footpath down to my gardenn that is in a lot of shade in the winter but gets sun some of the time ,when the sun is high ,in the summer .

Depends on your soil. I love magnolias but not sure if the U.K. climate is suitable. Try azaleas and rhododendrons? Crocus.co.uk has great advice!

Sorry I was trying to do a sort of diagram ,showing the points of the compass !

                                       North 
                                            |
                   West <span class="line-through">-</span><span class="line-through">-</span><span class="line-through">-</span><span class="line-through">-</span><span class="line-through">-</span>- East 
                                            |
                                        South

I would plant lots of scented plants and put an Arch somewhere along the fence. Then you can sit under it to enjoy the perfume.

mock orange Phyladelphis
jasmine
honeysuckle
roses
Sweet peas
WisteriA
Daphne
Witchhazel
Lilac
Choisya

Underneath the Arch I would plant lots of creeping time an Creeping mint to sooth your feet as you rest on them.

I used the compass on my phone to work out which way my garden faces

So when you say "faces" what does that mean?? The sun rises at the bottom of my garden moves to the right then sets at the end nearest the house?

It looks like a shallow border which will limit what you can plant, how deep is it and what is your soil like?

Wips ,I would say that your garden is west facing .

Thanks you @peridito !! Off to google suitable plants..,

There are lots of things you could plant against that fence. How about climbers, such as honeysuckle, clematis and climbing roses?

When talking about which way a garden “faces, it is normal to take the bearing from where the house meets the garden.
So, if when you step outside the sun is rising on your left, then your garden faces South. If it is your back garden, you are facing, then your front garden faces North.

If the early morning sun is right in front of you then your garden faces East. If when you step out the early morning sun is behind you , then your garden faces west.

The Crocus website is good for finding plants by using lots of filters - so you could look for ‘east facing’, ‘small’, ‘acid/clay/whatever soil you have’, then eg a colour of flower you like or autumn colour, wildlife appeal etc etc.

I agree, climbers on the fence, and perennials and bulbs in front.

I am very fond of aliums, which come in many sizes. This is a giant one, which has already doubled in 1 year.

Thanks everyone will have a look at the sites and suggestions. The ground is clay we had a climbing rose that was taken out for the new fence which was a shame and it did quite well. I like the idea of different shades of purple so made some climbers with some lavender? Will do some research before I visit the garden centr thanks.

And Aliums I do like the look of those!

First thing I would do is double (at least) the depth of the border

i love love love ceanothus (Californian lilac), evergreen, beautiful blue flowers.... thrives pretty much anywhere.

I love alliums too, but be warned; if you don’t dead-head them before they seed, you’ll get hundreds of grass-like seedlings. That smell of onions...