Planting ideas for troughs

[BambooWhoosh]

I've got 2 brick planters near my front door and I wondered if you could suggest some planting ideas please.

I've attached 2 pics (before/after clearing the beds). The brown plant was creeping thyme which was very successful but sadly it didn't survive the heatwave. The plants had been in for a few years - low maintenance and looked good in any season. I would like a change though. I've no idea what the green plant was - just an opportunistic weed.

I'm in South East England and the aspect is south-ish. The smaller bed gets less rain and if I'm not diligent enough with the watering then that's the bit that suffers first.

I'm reluctant to plant bulbs. I've planted lots in containers before but with limited success. A mixture of late, blind or runty. My guess was that they just got too cold.

Something which would look good through the winter would be ideal.

TIA

I would plant summer and winter heathers

Perfect for alpines - saxifraga, sempervivums, sedums, and many others. The soil would need to be gritty and well-drained, but these plants are pretty tough, and survive a bit of neglect.

Thank you. I like both of those ideas.

With the alpines, would I be better to plant them direct into the prepared soil or have them in shallower dishes/trays sunk into the soil?

Could I mix heathers and alpines?

Ive just planted a trough with heuchera and viburnham for winter in a shady position. Both evergreen.

@BambooWhoosh plant them directly into the soil, as shallow containers would dry out too quickly.
I wouldn’t mix alpines with heathers, as heathers would probably swamp the alpines.

The green has the overall look of marjoram. But could be many other things - too difficult to see in the pic.

When I was living in Brighton I had troughs planted up with heathers and cyclamen. The cyclamen pushed up through the heathers OK.

@NanTheWiser I'm grateful for your advice. I'm tempted to go for sempervivums so I'm checking out some suppliers you mentioned on a previous thread. Do they spread quickly? How many would you buy for that space?

@FLOrenze Thank you. I might put the heather on hold if I go with the succulents.

@bilbodog I really like your planting - especially the contrast in the colours. My front door faces south, so I might consider that for round the back.

@MereDintofPandiculation Marjoram - interesting - I've never bought any or seen any while the thyme was alive (unless a seedling hitched a ride from the garden centre and I've been merrily weeding it out over the past few years - I guess that's a possibility). I originally had two types of thyme planted alternately, but the golden upright one didn't survive.

Heathers and cyclamen - that would be more of an instant effect but I'm not sure if the cyclamen would tolerate full sun.

@BambooWhoosh Sempervivums do multiply into clumps, depending on the variety, and they come in a variety of colour forms too, making an attractive display. I’m not sure how many you would need - depends on the dimensions of the planter, and the size of the plants you buy.
Most good garden centres should have a reasonable choice in their alpine section, so might be an idea to have a look.

It should be remembered that Sempervivums do flower, and the rosette that flowers will die, but hopefully there will be plenty of offsets to take over.

I was also going to suggest sempervivums and small sedums. I have many pots of them and basically ignore them - they thrive! And they flower in the summer. You can get a nice mix of colours and textures. I'll post some pics tomorrow

J Parker bulbs have got lots of offers at the moment`

Just reviving this thread to show you how I've planted the troughs. I went for sempervivum and there is a delosperma on the end. It looks a bit sparse, but I've planted some miniature tulips and plenty of crocus in the gaps. I picked early varieties. I thought I could always add to the plants if necessary.

I removed about 6 inches of soil, mixed with grit and then planted. When the slate topping arrived, the bits were bigger than I had anticipated, so my question is - Do you think the bulbs will have any problem getting through the slate? I planted at 5-6" depth as per instructions. I know bulbs are determined things but I guess they only have so much energy.

Bulbs should be fine I have mine coming through slate. I think the issues you describe in the past with bulbs might be down to them getting dry so keep an eye on water levels

Thanks very much deplorabelle. The crocus bulbs were sprouting when I planted them so I'm hoping they will appear early. I'll keep an eye on the water levels as you suggested. It's good to know that your bulbs have come through slate okay.

It looks a bit sparse, but I've planted some miniature tulips and plenty of crocus in the gaps. I thought you said you were reluctant to plant bulbs! It's looking nice, and sempervivum are a good choice- they'll grow on house roofs, so they'll be fine in a wall trough.

You were worried whether Cyclamen would survive the sun - I was thinkinf of C coum and C hederifolium. The only place I've seen C hederifolium in the wild is on top of a Greek mountain without a tree in sight. The reason we plant them in dry shade under trees is because they can survive there, not because they need the conditions. I have them both on my south facing gravel terrace, where they've spread from an original half dozen plants to several hundred.

I thought you said you were reluctant to plant bulbs!
I know, I know! The plants looked so sparse when I put them in and I thought it would be a good way to get a splash of colour early in the year - that's if they actually flower this time! My previous bulb failures were in containers on the north facing patio, so maybe it was too chilly or not enough watering. I didn't know what else to put in for a splash of colour that wouldn't overwhelm the small plants so I thought I'd chance the bulbs.

I had only read about cyclamen coum and cyclamen hederifolium on the rhs website and I think it says partial shade so I had immediately discounted them. Really interested to hear that you have seen them in the wild and also grow them in such an open site.

I have two large containers to fill (near the troughs) so might consider cyclamen there. We do have a muntjac problem though and I have opened my front door before to find only the stumps of new plants left. I've had to construct a wire frame to protect the troughs.

I used to grow C hederifolium in a trough of heathers on the S side of the house in Sussex.

The bulbs I planted in this trough are now starting to show . I have crocus and miniature tulips. It is mild at the moment but due to snow Sun/Mon with night temps of -4. Will I help or hinder the bulbs if I temporarily cover them with something?

I have never covered my bulbs once they start popping up

Thank you. I'm just worrying as I've had some bulb disasters in the past. They'll probably be fine.