Hello gardeners! What can I put in this border?

[ITonyah]

It's a big raised bed, quite sunny. Hardy geraniums doing well and a huge yellow lily (I think) with a massive amount of shiny foliage. I have a big gap that needs something about 1m tall at the back and something lower that might spill over the rather broken wall at the front. Extra points for cottage garden types.

Hydrangea Anabelle look great when in full flower especially when cut back hard at I think the beginning of spring.Osteopurnums at the front...just some ideas but i'm biased because love these plants look great in the sunny border.

I'm a bit scared of hydrangeas as I've not had much luck with them. Love the look of them though!

Meant to say they have an old country hedge behind them.so this might make the ground more dry??

Personal faves I'd consider there - philadephus for the taller one, or a tree peony, at the front I'd put in annuals (new each year) like nemesias, calibrachoa, lobelias. Or if you don't want to replant every year go for typical wall-spillers like aubretia and campanula and corydalis lutea - and while they grow and spread you can stick the annuals in to cover the temporary spaces.

How about Lavatera at the back? It's really easy to grow, will be happy in a sunny border and produces masses of pink flowers in the summer. You would need to consider if it would flower at the same time as the lily though, as pink and yellow might clash.

At the front, maybe lavender would be nice. Again, they do well in a sunny, dry spot and require very little care apart from cutting back in autumn.

Thank you so much. I will have a Google!

Are you looking for a shrub or a perennial at the back? If a perennial, salvia amistad would be lovely - it flowers from July to maybe November, loads of purple flowers. Likes a sunny spot.

Pressed post too soon.

If you’re looking for a shrub, escallonia pink Elle is an evergreen, grows to a height and spread of about a metre or a little more, covered in pale pink flowers in July.